She Won't Say She's In Love
by Coka Cookie Cola
Summary: She had lust for him. She desired him. He also had feelings for her, but how does the young, half-Saiyan Princess Bulla Briefs feel for him? Will she ever fall in love? No chance, no way, she won't say it... at least out loud. COMPLETE
1. Unsatisfied Princess

**She Won't Say She's In Love**

**~~ Not gonna lie, I've been planning a Dragon Ball Z romance story forever but I didn't know which couples to choose from and how the storyline is going to work. So, for the first time in my Fan Fiction career, I decided to start writing some DBZ in a variety of couples from Vegeta and Bulma to Goku and Chi-Chi maybe even Gohan and Videl… No. This story is about Goten and Bra (Bulla). I thought about making my first one Vegeta and Bulma, but then I changed my mind—I got inspired by various YouTube videos supporting Bra and Goten to some FanFics about them. I figured, "Why the hell could I not do this?" **

**Please no spamming or flames—only positive feedback or constructed criticism. Believe it or not, it actually makes me want to go back to my work and see how it could be improved…**

**Anyway, enjoy the story folks :D ~~**

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

There's no way. There's no possible or scientific explanation about it. There's no way in hell that she had feelings for him—much more than friendship. Not that they had much of a friendship to begin with, seeing that her older brother and him are best friends and it would be much more than awkward to say the least if she ever considered a relationship with him.

Where did it go wrong? When did young sixteen year old Bulla Briefs ignore her young Saiyan pride, which she always kept within her, ever consider such feelings? How did she let her heart boom in euphoria? Didn't her parents ever teach her to not give her heart away at a single boy, who knew well enough that he wouldn't get away with using her heart?

Instead of arguing about it for the fiftieth time, and just like a Saiyan who wouldn't give up a damn fight, she used her human instincts. After all, the aquamarine coloured young woman is only half-human after all. For once, Bulla wanted to use her brains and not stupidly start a fight which would make things worse for the both of them, and that somewhat hurt her ego. Even though she wasn't into fighting as much as her loving father Vegeta "Prince of all Saiyans", and her older brother Trunks who was indeed friends with **him**, she still had a fiery spark which could easily be set if you'd upset her enough.

Let her tell you, she was not like any other young, hormonal teenage girl with dreams of getting into a boy's pants to something completely dream achievable: building a strong, firm career by the time she was twenty-five, which her mother wanted her to do. Though Bulla had to admit, shopping was one of her favourite pastimes if she wasn't bothering anybody with her charms and manipulative ways to gain money. Who the hell said that Saiyans couldn't be both clever and beautiful? Her father once told her that female Saiyans used both of these to their advantages in order to claim a mate—something that Bulla did not intend to attract at this moment. After all, she was only sixteen and told her father that fact, and to her astonishment he agreed with her—Bulla was too young to find one just yet.

So what was she to do then? The sixteen year old prodigy—shopping and manipulating her father into doing so being two of her talents—continued to use her ocean blue eyes to stare frustratingly at her homework, which she hadn't been able to accomplish. It wasn't like she was stupid by most Saiyan standards—she could easily figure out this stupid homework (she had Bulma as a mother, after all) but Bulla couldn't admit to herself that she was thinking of him.

She furrowed her recently tweezed eyebrows in annoyance while her eyes shone with anger—this was too damn complicated yet she was smarter than most girls her age. No matter how many times Bulla was tempted to yet write one word on her piece of fine paper, her brain stopped to an end and she was forced to find another subject to think about. If only she could have gone shopping.

Unfortunately, her mother was too busy coming up with plans for some generator for her father to use to transform into SSJ 5 (as if he wasn't strong already), Trunks was busy setting aside his social life (reluctantly) to train for the upcoming tournament, and Vegeta was being his usual stubborn self—absolutely refusing to take her shopping. If only they could all see how important this was for her this time around, but no one understood even if they listened.

Bulla breathed in and out quite rapidly and heavily, which was a sign she was about to go on an anger streak. She first displayed a temper tantrum at the mere age of four when her mom reluctantly told her that she was going to Playschool with other humans her age—and like her dad, Bulla back then had no desire to be in a room with incompetent kids who had no early lessons of education: She was already intelligent enough, what was the point? Besides—with her unusual hair colour, they'd bound to make fun of her any time they wanted. Thus, the HUGE fight ensued, and Bulla got her way in the end—no Playschool for her.

Bulla glanced around her surroundings—blood-red coloured walls, black vacuum-friendly rugs, 18th century lights in her room (dear thanks to her grandmother for that decoration) and a queen-sized red and black coloured comforters with matching pillows and canopies. Also complete with an old-fashioned also 18th century desk (she loved it completely, even if she used it for the wrong reasons), a built-in fridge (Bulla hated to say it but with an appetite like hers, she shouldn't eat "like those weak humans" like her father put it) and her favourite piece of furniture of all—the Grand Wardrobe/Closet which held all her favourite pieces to wear. Yes, the room may have seemed like it was dark, but her father, for some strange reason, designed part of it for her (Bulma didn't quite believe it either—Trunks didn't get as much spoiling from him) and said it was mandatory that all female Saiyans needed their space and required colours "soothing to their senses". Even though Bulla thought this was weird, but this was the reason why she loved her room. Though Bulla didn't know why she couldn't have her own entertainment system—aside from the recent speakers she bought for her iPod—Trunks was allowed to have his own and apparently, her parents shared one in their room. When Bulla asked this, they say that she had to earn their trust with hard work but the main reason being was that Vegeta didn't want Bulla to waste potential by watching TV. Was she not allowed to do anything?

Bulla, suddenly in the mood to beat the shit out of somebody, growled monstrously but as quiet as she could while her elegantly swung a kick to the rosy red wall a few feet away from her.

Bulla had no interests to fighting in general, but when she needed to release stress she'd go to her father or her brother as her personal punching bags. Once, Trunks suggested a training room for Bulla and it didn't go well—she ended up blasting the whole room (which she complained lacked space) in furious rage since she didn't get what she wanted. Yes, she was stronger than the average Saiyan warrior Princess, but she didn't quite reach Trunks' level yet, which annoyed her to no end. Thus, she took her training much seriously than she would have, which pleased Vegeta somewhat—at least she wouldn't be pent up on shopping all the time.

When the sixteen year old girl heard her stomach in demand of well-provided nutrients, she sighed in an increasing pissed off mood—she couldn't say no to her tummy, it'd always come back later to bitch and moan of how it didn't get any food.

So Bulla swung the fridge door open to find one of her favourite foods—leftover ramen, tuna casserole, carrots (She always loved the taste of good old baby carrots), perogies, half a turkey and some other delicious delicacies Bulla demanded to be present. Favourite drinks? Only one—grape smoothie which she found relaxing and nutritious to her body. How everyone else in the family found it tasting like "medicine", she figured they were insane: how could they NOT love the ice cream and grape juice combination?

Once Bulla prepared her food, she made her way to her desk where she ate in complete silence and knocked off her homework off, ignoring the spilling contents of her pencil case.

Screw the homework, she had her own needs—after all, she was extremely intelligent when it came to that and of common sense enough to satisfy her needs.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

_Bulla mewed in delicate pleasure as her pupils dilated; her body trembled and throbbed with need and lust, and her mind pounding with the need to be touched. She needed to be touched by him—his extremely professional hands; gentle, masculine but also electrical already made her want him to take her already. _

_He first hypnotized her with his dark, desiring eyes and she knew right then that he wanted her regardless. Bulla couldn't say no to him anyway. This felt so wrong, but it also felt so right when she was with him. Then, he decided to slowly move on top of her, lips puckering on top of her own and that was when the fire started to burn up passionately. She reciprocated the heat-filled kiss, while groping his naked, nicely toned muscles on his back in the process. But then he decided to torture her by leaving her lips and she could feel the cold due to the lack of warmth—making her moan in annoyance. Bulla felt the electricity ignite within her as he made his way down her neck, sucking, licking and kissing quickly, but as he made her way down her chest and to her stomach, that was when she was desperate._

_Her womanhood was screaming out to him to come inside her, her precious jewel awaiting seductively but impatiently for him to take. _

_Bulla knew this was finally going to happen—she was going to get the release she was waiting for… and it couldn't have been the right moment. _

_The very same emasculate and pleasure induced hands were reaching towards her curvy thighs, spreading them slowly apart as the tongue reached out from his lips to tortuously lick her clitoris, making her moan again with lust in her tone. She knew her point of impact was nearly breaking, merely by thrusting her hips in an upward motion to let him know that she wanted him now. But her lust for him temporarily turned into frustration as she felt his smirk on his lips as he continued to throw in a few fingers into her waiting…_

Before the nightmare turned into a nice, sweet, erotic dream, it all turned dark and it made it all the more frustrating as to why it ended when it was starting to heat up.

Bulla snapped her eyelids open, abruptly sat up—all the while sweating anxiously and feeling warm feelings in her core…

_What the hell's going on?_ She thought as she started to calm herself down by breathing in and out—Yoga wise. Thank Kami she decided to take those classes before starting her training with Vegeta.

What the hell could make her feel so aroused? So in desperate need to be touched? Bulla hated this feeling—and ever since thinking about **him** that was all she could feel at night when she was trying to gain her beauty sleep. Sometimes, she wished she was born without feelings, but that was when she was seriously pissed off about something. This was one of those times.

She boiled up in anger as she tight fully gripped her blankets in her palms, but thought nothing of it as Bulla instantly threw them away from her body. Clearly she wasn't thinking straight: she slumped out of her bed loudly when she reached the floor—just loud enough so everyone else with super powers could hear. Oh, would she have a fun time explaining this to her brother and her dad.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

**~~So what do you think so far? Yeah, Bulla might be just bitchy, but I'm going to change that later on… Yes, even a half-Saiyan princess needs her pride—she's not willing to admit her "feelings" for Goten just yet. Doesn't that sound like our Prince we all know and love to his own woman during those 10 years? Lolz. **

**Please continue to read—I'm experimenting with this couple (this is my first DBZ story, remember) and I want to see where it takes me. Even honest opinions are welcome!** ~~


	2. Inattentive Boyfriend

**Chapter 2**

"What's the matter, Goten? Why aren't you getting in with the game?" The amused and slightly taunting voice of Son Goku asked the twenty-one year old **(A/N: No, I'm not having Goten portray a really old guy in his late-twenties) **who yet again was losing his concentration of training with his father.

"Of course I am!" Goten retorted, getting back on his hind feet once again—determined to not let his dad tease him again.

But the truth was, the raven haired half-Saiyan adult had a lot on his mind and for some strange reason, he was thinking about a certain half-Saiyan Princess. A warrior Princess in his own mystic onyx eyes, anyway. A one-of-a-kind woman with the rarest of cerulean blue eyes, and the uniqueness of her ocean-opaque eyes which always attracted Goten. And certainly, how could he forget the enticingly seductively toned body she worked hard to gain? Not that it was any of his business, but he learned from Trunks that even though Bulla didn't want to fight as much as the others, it didn't mean she was NEVER going to.

That was the other problem—the older brother. Even if Goten was deeply in love with her—only attracted, or any other feeling besides love—he wasn't sure what Trunks' reaction would be if Goten just sprang out the news that he and Bulla were dating. Surely, he'd be shocked and surprised, but would he also be angry and overprotective? Maybe, but Goten couldn't say so for sure. But Vegeta's reaction would be MUCH, MUCH worse… He'd kill him for even considering to take his daughter on a date for a few reasons—one, he was "Kakarot's son" and two, well, he was kind of protective of Bulla. So he knew he couldn't risk the majorly killing instinct in Vegeta—he'd be dead in a few seconds…

Besides—he was already in a relationship; sure, it was kind of failing, but Goten was willing to work on it with Valese, whom he dated for a year and a half. He didn't have to worry about fidelity and commitment—he and Valese never once slept with another partner while they were together and they could trust each other. Valese knew that no one would ever get with Goten—he already had eyes for her.

Then why was he checking out and thinking about Bulla, of all people? Yes, she's pretty, smart and not the little girl he knew once before. But come on—with gorgeous looks such as hers, she may as well have a boyfriend.

"Heads up, son!" Goku warned as he busted out a swift kick to his youngest boy's stomach—hard enough to make him cry out in shock and in a slightest bit of pain, but not enough to seriously hurt him.

As Goten rolled unto the wild grass, Goku seriously thought what was going on with him. This was one of the few times that he didn't think about food, and wanted to seriously care for his son's welfare. Was it because of he and that girl were fighting and he was drifting away from his training? Who knew? Or maybe was it because he didn't want to fight? Goku shook his head at that thought—no, he always loved to fight, so why stop now?

"You okay, son?" Goku laughed at the sight of his boy groaning and growling as he plucked pieces of grass from out of his hair.

"You didn't tell me that was coming, because?" Goten crossed his arms and somewhat pouted by sticking his outer lip a few millimeters—a sight that Goku only saw when he was a child.

"I did tell you, but you were drifting away again." Goku scratched his onyx hair in confusion as he also put on a dazed and confused look at his son.

Goten was about to say something in retaliation, but decided against it. His dad may be the strongest fighter in the universe, but he wasn't the best person to talk to about girl problems—he'd prefer to talk to someone who had a lot of experience with women, but the only person he could talk to was Gohan, but he was very busy with work these days as an orthopedist. His mother wanted him to be much successful as Gohan, but Goku convinced her to cut him some slack—let the boy do what he wanted to do.

Goten loved his father sure, but he didn't think he had a lot of experience with girls—the only one he was in contact with was Bulma and then later on Chi Chi, but that was beside the point.

Lately, he couldn't help but fade away from sparring with his friends and family; Goten wasn't that interested anymore, just like Gohan who gave up most of his fighting blood to be like any other human—who had a wise occupation which he loved. But Goku wasn't prepared to take no as an answer—he just assumed that his youngest child would want to fight for what would be considered the rest of his life. He didn't want that; he wanted something much more than fighting.

He just wanted to focus on dating—and living his life to the fullest without resorting to violence most of the time like what Vegeta and Goku do. For once, Goten wanted his life to be normal; his mom wanted the same thing for both her boys, and he kind of agreed with him.

But as Vegeta pointed out, there were no such luxuries of peace for very long—there'd be another ruthless villain who had intentions of slaughtering mankind, blah, blah, blah… and he was right to an extent. Goten thought that he should live life to the fullest the best way he could—dating. No, he was no man-whore; he just had very few women in his life.

"Dad, would you be mad at me if I said I didn't want to train as much anymore?"

"No, but why would you say something like that?"

"Never mind, Dad, it's just that I don't want to fight as much as I used to."

"Do what you want, Goten—no one's stopping you. In fact, your mother would be thrilled that you'd give up fighting," Goku shrugged his shoulders as he thought about what Chi-Chi would think—letting Goten lay off his sparring sessions with his father for a while.

"I know what she would think, but what do you think?"

"I'm just shocked, that's all," Goku sheepishly chuckled while wiping off his forehead with sweat.

"I know this is hard to say, but it's true—I do want to give up fighting for a little while." He didn't want to lie to his overenthusisastic father anymore—yes, fighting was in his genes, but was it what Goten was intended to do for the rest of his life? Maybe, maybe not. All he wanted was time to think about what he wanted—he sure didn't have a choice in the matter when he was younger: he was exactly like Goku.

"I know what you mean son—I wanted to give it all up when I married your mother."

"Really?" Goten widened his dark eyes at this surprising information. His mother said that she wanted him to change his lifestyle and raise a normal family with her; and that was sort of her lifetime wish. Too bad it didn't exactly come true.

"Did Mom force you?"

Goku grinned, but didn't bear an amused chuckle. "No, it was my own choice."

"Then what made you?"

"For once, I just wanted to be normal—but luckily that didn't come true, right?"

Goten laughed along with his father, but didn't agree with him. He always wondered, from that moment on, what his father meant by wanting to be normal. Though he wouldn't be the exact same Goku as today, would he?

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

"Bulla, honey, what's the matter? You've barely touched your food—you're always in the mood to eat," Bulma glanced at her teenaged daughter playing around with her massive steak, mashed potatoes and the Green Giant peas with her fork.

This was unusual for Bulla—she always looked so enthusiastic or so scheming, but this time she didn't have the same determined and prideful fire in her eyes. Her body was slouching against the dinner table, and if Vegeta were to voice out her position, he'd say it was inappropriate and sloppy—not how a female Saiyan should look at times. Though Bulma couldn't exactly disagree with him—it wasn't good for her health. Another thing that the mother of two noticed was that she wasn't talking at all. Period. Normally at the family dinner, she'd blab her guts out talking about all sorts of random things from clothes to boys, etc.

"I'm just not hungry," Bulla murmured, barely raising her voice above its unusual whisper.

"Hmph. When I was your age, I'd eat as much as I could, whether if I was damn hungry or not," Vegeta retorted before going back to vacuuming his food as neatly as he could—and not once did he go sloppy.

"You're not helping," Bulma gave her arrogant Saiyan husband her deadliest glare before going back to socializing with her daughter.

She was sort of worried—were they not bonding enough? Did she not spend enough time with her or her father? What was Bulla upset about? All of these worries crept into the previous Capsule Corp Chairwoman, and it didn't sit well with her. Sometimes, Bulma wondered if she was fit to even be a mother, with all her constant fretting and worrying to letting what her children do whatever they wanted. Was she being too laidback? Was she not strict enough? Well, she raised Trunks just fine—even if Vegeta didn't lend a helping hand, and even when her parents spoiled Trunks way too much. But taking care of a moody, half-Saiyan girl was somewhat confusing to her—she never once acted like this when she was a child, so did Bulla take this from her Saiyan side of the family?

"You should eat something honey, so those boys can see how gorgeous you are," Bulma winked at her daughter, causing her to flush in extreme embarrassment and Vegeta to immediately stop eating his food and nearly growling.

She was somewhat surprised that Vegeta would do such a thing, but she was glad that he did—he was a good father and nothing he would do would change that. Vegeta was quite the overprotective one when she and Yamcha broke up, but continued to have a friendship afterwards.

Bulla couldn't help but show a small smile—a sign that her mother's words had at least some positive effect on her.

Oh, how only she knew of her love life—which surprisingly she doesn't have any ex-boyfriends: meaning she never had her first kiss nor her first date. She didn't know what to do about these numbers, and quite frankly, she didn't know how to improve them—there weren't any guys around that attracted Bulla. Vegeta wasn't surprised—he told her a number of times that when attracting a "mate" as he called it, physical attraction was only skin deep, scent and an instant "connection" were ways to tell if he was her intended one or not. Bulma hadn't been told any of this, because Bulla was somewhat worried that Bulma would go in a phase: consisting of encouraging her young daughter to go fish for some boys in the waters.

"Okay, okay, I'll eat," Bulla waved her recently manicured hands in defense as she started to eat her steak the same way she always had—vacuuming it all in a few moments.

"Speaking of dates, we're gonna need you to get one," Bulma elbowed her eldest son in an attempts to make him converse—seeing that he was the only one that didn't contribute anything to the topic of discussion.

"Mom, you know I'm much too busy running the company," Trunks blushed causing Vegeta and Bulla to roll their eyes in annoyance.

Bulla knew that her brother was the type to turn bright red when talking dates and girls, and all that—but she only blushed in embarrassment. Apparently though, she had been told that Saiyans NEVER blush when it came to affection—and there were many other ways to display such affections to their mate. When she had been told this, she had been only thirteen and never understood it at the time, but she started to slightly get it now.

"I was only kidding Trunks—but go out and have some fun for a change. Go see what Goten's up to."

That was the last straw—Bulla threw up the remains of her chewed food from her mouth and unto the dinner table, while turning a rosy red on her cheeks in the process—which drew attention from every member of the Briefs family.

"Are you alright, honey?" Bulma bit her lip while she asked, her voice filled with concern.

Bulla continued to choke on her food, coughing as she did so. Trunks, being the concerned older brother that he was, patted her on the back and Bulla stopped her continuous coughs—clearing her throat to signal that she was alright.

In Bulla's eyes, it was extremely embarrassing to even do such a thing—choking on her own food when Bulma mentioned the said object of her attention's name out loud, and what made it worse, was that nobody knew. Not even her dad. Not that anybody knows, but doing such embarrassing acts such as this, even in private or public, does damages to her pride and it made her more determined to not let herself do this again. She wouldn't do this again, because **he **wasn't worth it.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

"Goten, if your father asks me where you've been and what time you'll come back, what am I going to tell him?" Chi-Chi came face to face with her son who was currently getting ready on his date with Valese.

She gulped anxiously at the sight of her son all grown up in a simple yet alluring black tuxedo suit with a white shirt tucked into his pants—making him look… grown up. Tears began to form in her eyes as flashbacks of treasured memories instantly flashed before her very own raven eyes.

To be honest, she hated the sight of her second pride and joy grow up so fast—Chi-Chi loved him far too much to see him discover the world on his own and she was used to him depending on her. Goku may not be as emotional as she, but she treasured all the times she spent with him and Gohan when they were young, and it made her want to cry even more when they started to grow up. Sure, they're supposed to live out life on their own, but it always made her sad, and she hated it. Chi-Chi may have sounded selfish, but she didn't want her sons to grow up too fast—think of when Pan would finally live out the world on her own; Gohan and Videl may have to deal with that soon enough.

"Mom? Are you okay?" Goten instantly knew the tears in her eyes—they were tears of sadness yet tears of pride. He knew that she knew that he was growing up and he was slowly pulling away from her, and he didn't need her anymore. He ran up to his mother and pulled her in for a hug, but not before she was clutching unto him, crying into his shirt.

"Why do all my little boys have to grow up so fast?" She wailed, letting Goten embrace her back.

"It's going to be okay Mom, I'm only going on a date—I'll be back."

"I know, but you look so…"

"Handsome? Intriguing?" Goten smirked when she finally looked up at his face, making eye contact with his own onyx eyes. Chi-Chi had her own amusement in her quick smile, but then faded as she quickly swallowed her fear as she said, "Grown up."

"I won't be out too long—only until 10:30," Goten reassured his mother who started to sob again.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

"Goten!" Valese squealed in delight as she saw the man of her affections waltz up to her door to knock.

Happy to see he was an understatement. She was pretty excited as to where her boyfriend was going to take her this time, and for once, there wasn't going to be any fights. There was only going to be intertwined love and joyous laughter as they spend their time together. The wavy, shoulder-length brunette thought that this was going to be the perfect night in her life.

She thought she looked pretty damn good in her recent dress that she purchased; a midnight blue, sleeveless gown that went down to her ankles and hugged her curves perfectly. There were slits running down her thighs, and the gown made her look model-tall—exactly what Goten loved. Even her worn-out silver high heels matched her outfit nicely, and not to mention the very little make up she put on (besides the rouge red lipstick and mascara and eyeliner) she looked hot enough to make Goten want her.

Over the few years, including high school, people had made fun of her because she was still a virgin. She hated it. Now, she was going to change that—after this romantic night, Goten would fuck her until there was no tomorrow.

"Valese, you look beautiful," Goten praised, letting his eyes roam all over her body—taking in the sight of her dress, her curves and her beautiful chocolate eyes that he would consume anytime.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she winked in reciprocation. She wasn't lying—he looked unbelievably hot in the tuxedo he bought a few weeks ago for this very night. Who knew that this night out of all nights would be the perfect time to do it?

Goten leaned in for a brief but sweet kiss on the lips and before Valese knew it, he pulled away—taking his hand out for her to grab unto so he could escort her to the restaurant.

_Maybe this night won't be so bad after all,_

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

After the incident at dinner time, Bulla—for the first time in her life—had to admit she felt pretty down with herself for pretty much insinuating something at the dinner table.

She also had to admit that she had tension built up inside her since the dream she had about her and Goten sleeping together. Bulla felt like she was an uncomfortable wreck and she could go insane any second—it felt like everyone in her family expected her to tell them what was the problem and if they could help. It was like they were torturing her with their stares of concern. It shouldn't matter because Bulla won't let herself slip up ever again.

Yet she had to think to herself why she did it—after all, Bulla didn't think she liked Goten in that manner: only he attracted her. Definitely not love and she knew it wouldn't come to that. After all, as gorgeous as Goten was, he'd probably have a girlfriend and she'd be even more beautiful than her.

Bulla decided to stop thinking about the dinner incident—she couldn't let herself waste anymore time.

According to her instincts, the best way to relieve tension was to either go shopping for more clothes (which was not happening because it was 7:00 P.M and the mall would be closed) or to beat the shit out of somebody. There were other alternative ways, like yoga, swimming or even going on a walk, but Bulla only wanted to do one thing. Fight. It was in her father's blood. Trunks' blood. Deciding that she loved this idea, she decided to call Pan—she sure needed someone to spar with.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

"Goten, what's the matter with you," Valese snapped, leaned herself against her chair and crossed her arms with as much annoyance as she had in her body.

She thought that it was going to be the perfect night of her life—they were at one of the best romantic restaurants in the city, and everything was going perfect: until her boyfriend was drifting away from her. That was what she hated from her boyfriends—she didn't like to be second on their mind.

"I'm sorry, Valese, were you saying something?" Goten quickly put on his lovey-dovey face for his girlfriend, who felt immediately reassured that he was probably thinking about her—who wouldn't?

"Is everything okay?" She slipped her right hand under his, and to Goten—who didn't know why—but he felt coldness fill his stomach. He felt quite uncomfortable with the situation but why should he? Valese was his girlfriend, and they don't feel weird around each other. So he just had to ignore the feeling.

"I was thinking about you," Goten requited the adorable hand-touching by leaning in close to her side to place a small yet powerful kiss on her cheek. She smiled a satisfied smile—at least her boyfriend was thinking about her.

"You're too cute," Valese flirted by using her infamous wink of the left eyelid and it always made Goten feel the need to flirt back.

"Excuse me, Madam, Mister, what would you like this evening?"

"I'll have the chicken teriyaki with a medium Caesar salad, but hold the bread crumbs and only use the ranch dip."

"And I'll have the lobster special with onion rings and potatoes."

And straight away, the waiter left with their orders.

"Really, Goten?"

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just I didn't see you eat that much before."

"It's no big deal, Valese—appetites run big in my family," Goten answered as politely as he could. He knew that his girlfriend didn't like his eating habits, but there weren't any plausible ways to tell her why he ate as much as he does. She wouldn't understand. She wasn't Saiyan—only a human.

There was only one Saiyan woman who knew what it was like to be him—and he saw her eat a ton of food before, and she wasn't afraid to show it. Wait, why was he thinking of Bulla now at a time like this? This was supposed to be a romantic dinner between him and his current girlfriend. Though he had to admit he had the feeling he wouldn't be with her too much longer: the tension between them lately rose to a whole new level and it was getting awkward. Hopefully, this night was going to be perfect, and Goten wouldn't give it up for the whole world.

But what would happen when they broke up? Would Goten pursue after someone like him? A Saiyan? Bulla, even? Well, if that were a choice, he would have to stick with her since the whole race of Saiyans were pretty much extinct and the only ones left resided on Earth. Honestly, Goten liked Bulla—as a friend and not an annoying younger sister she was ten years ago. She became much feistier and much more beautiful—she got that from both the parents in the psychotic gene trend.

Her rare but strangely unique ocean blue eyes felt like he was being sculpted from ice and it made him feel cool on a hot summer's day… Bulla's hair—pin-straight and silky smooth—he wanted to grasp within his fingers and stroke it… He couldn't deny it—he was attracted to her, but he knew better to chase after his best friend's sister, and that he was already in a failing relationship.

Was she the reason why he and Valese weren't working out? No, it was because of the lack of faith and trust Valese had in him recently. Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder if Valese really wanted to break things off with him, and other times, maybe not.

"Goten," Valese stared coldly at him. She was getting boiled up—he was drifting apart from her AGAIN, and she knew then that he wasn't thinking about her. What could there be so frigging important to think things over about when they were having their romantic dinner? They never got their damn food yet, and she was starting to think that maybe Goten wanted to break things off. The simple kisses on her cheeks were obvious signs.

"What, Valese?" Goten grabbed his girlfriend's hands and held them preciously within his own, flushing them with his heat. He thought that he would share that beautiful smile again, but she immediately brushed them off.

"What's your problem?"

"That was what I was asking you; when you were drifting off to space again."

"I'm sorry, I just have a lot on my mind."

"Who is she?"

Goten was quite flabbergasted when she said those three words. How could she possibly know that he was thinking about someone else? Did she possess the power to read minds? No, probably not—but Valese wasn't as stupid as you thought she would be.

He felt as though his world was crashing down—this night was supposed to be special: to make up for what they did to each other in the past, and now the circle of fights and pain were starting all over again. Goten was now questioning if his relationship was even going to last now, and this was the last night they would spend time with each other.

Goten didn't mean to ever hurt her feelings when he did drift apart, but sometimes she went ballistic over some of the simplest of things. Even if he was thinking about fighting or something rather important, he knew that she knew she wasn't on his mind. That was the consequence of dating someone like her—she wanted to be the only thing on his mind. But was he the only one on hers?

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not stupid Goten—I know that you're thinking of another woman. Who is she?" She grits her teeth in annoyance and furious rage as she continued to fixate her chocolate eyes on the man sitting across the table from her.

"I'm not thinking of another woman, Valese. Come on, I would never cheat on you."

"Don't make me laugh, Goten—when you were thinking of her, I could tell you were thinking of that girl from the look in your Casanova eyes. Besides, I should be the only woman on your mind, and look what happened—you're now a cheating bastard."

"This is why our relationship is failing, Valese: it's because you don't trust me." Goten was starting to get angry now, and he was even more frustrated that his girlfriend wasn't giving him a chance. He knew it—she never trusted him; even though he would never give into another girl's demands in the ways of love. How could she be like that to him? He never did ONCE cheat on her. Was this her way of breaking up with him?

Or was it just another fight that was surely too brutal and painful to even consider fixing?

"Believe what you want, Goten—but I do trust you. But why are you thinking of another woman?" Valese could feel the shameful tears in her brown eyes and they threatened to spill out—so the whole restaurant could see. She couldn't care less—let the world see how sad and pained she was that her own boyfriend was breaking up with her because of his infidelity.

"Don't cry, Valese," Goten spoke softly and he brushed the tears away from her face.

"What are we going to do now?"

Goten didn't know the answer to this question, to be honest. Because he was too busy thinking about—the other woman.


	3. Bothersome Attractions

**Chapter 3**

"What's wrong, honey? I haven't seen you that down on yourself in ages," Bulma bit her lip as she switched her attention from washing the breakfast dishes to her moping teenage daughter sighing heavily at the table.

Seeing that she was her only little girl, and not to mention her carbon clone of herself, Bulma couldn't help but worry: after all, Bulla did remind her of herself thirty years ago. She also felt more than that—she hadn't literally seen Bulla that bored out of her mind since she was a child, and to be honest, Bulma was that desperate enough to let her train with her brother and her father. And all of these years, she wanted a daughter to take after her: smart, beautiful, lovable, and talented.

It had been a mere three weeks since that discussion at the dinner table. Bulma thought Bulla would be coming to her, seeing that she must have had some self-esteem issues. She wasn't surprised about that though—Bulla was exactly like Bulma when she was sixteen. After that, she saw Bulla less and less, and so she then assumed she either went shopping with Vegeta or training with Pan or Trunks. Was there something wrong with her? Or was she going through what every other Saiyan girl goes through? Vegeta didn't seem to give a damn in the least, seeing that he'd rather train half the time. Though Bulma did think that he should give her advice about raising a teenage daughter—he was a Saiyan too, after all. Bulma didn't know what to do. Her mother suggested letting the leaves fall where they may, and if necessary, take extra precautions.

Today though, breakfast was nothing more than the unusual. Vegeta, being the vacuum cleaner that he was, devoured his food in less than an hour, Trunks—like his introverted father—also preferred to not discuss anything (not even the Capsule Corp business plans) and ate just as quickly and Bulla, always being the social girl, yet again stayed silent but decided to eat, as long as she didn't contribute anything to the table, besides her presence. Bulma thought that by steering a conversation would get her somewhere, but no methods have worked. Maybe Bunny was right: just let the river continue its flow.

"I'm not depressed, Mom," Bulla snapped, causing her mother to raise her eyebrows and purse her lips together in an "excuse me?" kind of tone.

It was true—Bulla wasn't feeling depressed. She was more like bored, exhausted and dozy. For once, shopping with her dad didn't seem like a viable option, and trying on clothes wouldn't take her mind off things one bit. She was extremely tired of the same old routines: shopping, training, shopping, training. For once, pursuing a new fashion trend or trying a new style wasn't her best option. Nothing could take her mind away from Goten—which she tried with all her damndest Saiyan might to try to squash. Don't get her wrong—she was attracted to Goten, but that didn't mean they should hook up at all. First off, her father would kick the poor guy's ass, and second, he was her brother's best friend. It wouldn't feel right anyways. But then why did she start feeling this way around him? When was the first time she felt this way? Bulla didn't know, she didn't care, and she never planned to know.

"What's the problem, sweetie?" Bulma took a seat in front of her youngest child and looked at her understandingly in the eyes. It was like staring into a distant past version of her, not that it was a bad or good thing.

"What makes you think there is a problem?"

"Well, is there anything bothering you?"

Bulla opened her mouth to retort her answer that it was indeed Goten who was plaguing her thoughts and infecting her body with imaginary touches pleasant to the soul. But if she told her own mother that, then she might tell Vegeta, and he would go Hannibal Lector on Goten and she wouldn't be allowed to date anybody. Therefore, revealing her deepest secret was not an option. As much as she wanted this to go away, she didn't want Goten to be hurt in the process, for some reason. They weren't even best of friends really, just acquaintances who happen to see each other once in a while.

"It's nothing," Bulla insisted. When she first contemplated telling her mother of her attraction to Goten, she thought she could trust her at first. To a certain extent, yes, Bulma was not that protective—after all, if she were to get together with Goten who was Goku's son, Bulma would approve. But it wasn't like it was ever going to be at that point. She kept insisting that it was nothing more than a simple lust-filled attraction towards him, and that if Bulla tried her hardest to eradicate any other feelings toward him, she'd be telling the truth. Good thing she was an excellent liar.

"Trust me, Bulla; I was exactly like you when I was your age: exhausted, bored, and blank. I think I know something would be up."

Damn it. This wasn't part of the plan. Bulla knew right then to never underestimate her mother's intelligence level: after all, she used to be the Chairwoman of Capsule Corp.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Is it that bad? Come on, I'm your mom—you can tell me anything. You can trust me."

Bulla didn't know whether to believe her or not; she sounded genuinely trustworthy enough, but would she bear with the news that she had to tell her? After all the pushes for her to go fishing for boys? Maybe telling her wouldn't be a good idea after all.

"Yes Mom, it is that bad. If I tell you, you wouldn't understand," Bulla rubbed her temples repeatedly, feeling that she was about to get another horrible headache.

"Another headache again?" The amused but jokingly voice of Trunks popped in, causing Bulla and Bulma to look toward the half-Saiyan leaning against the frame of the wall with his arms crossed.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know that something's wrong with you," Trunks shrugged his shoulders as his lean body started to make its way to the fridge.

"Why does everybody say there's something wrong with me? Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Bulma rolled her ocean blue hues as she heard the all-too-familiar remark. Yep, there wasn't any question about it—Bulla was definitely Vegeta's daughter, and more of the similarities between them surfaced more and more every day.

"By the way, Mom, Goten's coming over," Trunks called out while carrying a large stack of pretzels, ice cream, a few beer, and some sandwiches before heading out to his room.

Bulla widened her eyes in shock, and nearly choked herself to death when she heard the mentioned best friend of her brother was coming over.

This was not good. This was very bad. If he came over, then it obviously meant that he would instantly smell the attraction on her, and Bulla couldn't afford that. Also, things would become very awkward and Trunks would pick up on that, and he would demand to know what was going on. But what was she supposed to do? Avoid the both of them? Well, maybe that was somewhat suspicious—sometimes Bulla would hang out with the both of them, but it wasn't like either of them minded it. Until now. And Kami knew if her dad found out that she was hanging out with "Kakarot's boy", then she would get in a lot of trouble: and so would Goten. Yes, he was that smart of a person to figure out something like that.

"What's wrong, Bulla? Afraid that he'll whoop your ass again?" Trunks teased, reminding his little sister of the embarrassing moments she had to go through. It was quite hilarious, to be honest, when Goten, Trunks and Bulla had their fair share of Call of Duty. The true champion of the game was Goten, but Trunks knew there were other ways to change that. So he had Bulla into fighting Goten and she lost. She was upset. No, upset was an understatement. Trunks could have sworn that she could have turned Super Saiyan any moment because of the anger and embarrassment she felt. It took her nearly three hours to calm her down, drill inside her head that it was just a game and that she could do better next time.

"You guys are seriously resorting to Call of Duty again?"

"No, we're just gonna watch this movie I hear it was supposed to be good."

"Please don't tell me it's one of those comedies," Bulla groaned.

Her taste in movies was quite different from the rest of her family: Bulma and Trunks occasionally liked comedies and some action/thriller. Vegeta watched nothing but horror, and so did Bulla. She didn't get most of the "supposedly funny" movies when they were shown to her. From Bulla Briefs, no laughter, no smile—only temporary frowns of disgust and looks of confusedness on her face. Therefore, horror movies were the real deal: she was a fearless girl, she didn't mind the blood and guts most women would faint and/or snivel and cry at, and the fact that it got her excited. She didn't see why Trunks didn't watch as many horror movies as her and Vegeta did; but Bulla figured that he wasn't into fighting as he used to.

"Actually, it's an action one, believe it or not."

"Since when were you into action movies?" Bulla pulled off an amused smile as she went back to the fridge to retrieve a soda. "I thought you're more into that comedy crap."

"Say what you want, Bulls," Trunks let out a wave with his free hand before heading back to the living room where the entertainment systems were located.

"Hey Trunks! When's Goten supposed to be over?" May as well get a heads up before avoiding the hell out of him.

"He should be over here any minute, why?"

"N-no reason!" Bulla muttered while trying to hide an obvious flush of rosy red colour on her cheekbones. Unfortunately for her, this didn't go unnoticed by Bulma.

"If I didn't know any better, you must have a thing for Goten, don't you?" Bulma giggled incoherently at the thought of her best friend's son being together with her own daughter. Ah, young love.

"You don't know any better. I don't like him that way. That's all there is to it."

"Why not? You would make a cute couple."

"Dad would kick his ass if we even tried anything and Trunks well…" Bulla took a sip of her Grape pop as she said this.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Vegeta did that—after all, he's such a big softie," Bulma winked, "and as for Trunks, I don't think he'd cause Goten too much damage."

"Or, he could just kick MY bleach-blue butt into a non-existent universe for even thinking about trying anything with him," Bulla suggested, half serious- half-joking.

"Ah, come on! You know that's not true, hon. Trunks and Vegeta would do anything for you."

Bulla only thought that statement was half-right: she manipulated her own father into taking her shopping, and she barely even tried at that. And he said he was the Prince of all Saiyans and that he couldn't be fooled. So much for that. But Trunks? He barely even listened to what she wanted half the time, so why even bother?

"Really?" Bulla didn't even bother saying that Vegeta was the one who was easy to trick to get whatever she wanted. Bulma should be that smart enough to figure out where Vegeta went and what their little escapades were, and what did Bulla want to get this time.

"I wouldn't kid you about something like that. Believe me, your father and your brother are very protective of you."

After hearing that, Bulla wasn't reassured at the slightest: her attraction for Goten was still strong and if anybody else found out, there'd be hell to pay for both Goten and herself.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

"Since when were you more into action/thriller movies than comedies?"

That was the first question Goten asked once he found out that Trunks planned on seeing one on the Satellite.

"Bulla asked that very same question," Trunks smirked, leading his best friend into the living room where the entertainment system was lurking.

"Really?"

"Yeah, and you should have seen the look on her face when I told her that you were coming over," Trunks snickered.

Goten could just picture it now: the cerulean haired beauty widening her ocean blue eyes, splitting her perfectly smooth lips in the opposite direction and he could imagine her sexy shriek of surprise. Too bad he wasn't there to see it.

"You alright there 'Ten?" Trunks patted his best friend on the back, seeing that Goten was somewhat turning red on the face. He wasn't stupid—he knew what he was thinking about, but Trunks thought it'd be best to not bring it up.

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, is Bulla gonna be watching with us?"

"I don't think so. Why? Gonna flirt with her?"

"No! I was just wondering, is all?"

If Goten thought Trunks bought that story, he was sorely mistaken. Trunks even wondered if Goten forgot that he was the Capsule Corp chairman and that officially he was a scientific genius and could put two and two together. He wouldn't be surprised though: Goten was like Goku in that aspect—they always forget things.

Trunks couldn't help but notice half the time when Goten hung out with the siblings; they were always flirting with each other. Yet neither of them knew it. Trunks knew if his father found out about that, he'd kill Goten and ground Bulla for the rest of her social life. And for Trunks himself, well, what could he do to his best friend? Make him go through six hours worth of chick flicks? Beat the shit out of him for even thinking about going after his sister? He probably had to consider option number two. Must be the Saiyan instincts talking.

"Whatever. So your just gonna stand there? Or are you gonna watch the movie?"

"What do you think I came here for?"

"To flirt with my sister," Trunks shrugged his shoulders as his friend plopped down on the nearby bean bag next to him.

"You know I wouldn't try something like that."

"I was kidding bro. Can't take a good joke or two anymore?"

"Some jokes they were—they were brutal," Goten scoffed as he referred to him and Trunks' earlier years in life.

"Come on, they weren't that bad."

"From what Mom told me, they were that bad," an amused voice spoke clearly in the room, interrupting Goten and Trunks' conversation.

"How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough to know that you have a very disgusting choice in food and in movies," Bulla smirked and went in between the two boys with her own beanbag.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Am I not allowed to watch a friendly movie with you guys?" She pouted while crossing her arms in a very hurt manner.

Trunks rolled his eyes. He had seen this kind of behavior from his little sister before, and believe it or not, he didn't fall for it. Not since she was a six-year-old brat, and she had the power to manipulate whoever she wished into getting what she wanted. Unfortunately, it always worked, and Trunks always cursed himself every time. This was the exact same thing only that when she crossed her arms, a little of her you-know-what peaked out for every other male in the room to see. Goten was just one of them.

Trunks slit his eyes and nearly growled in anger. Yep, Goten was definitely gazing down there and it was more than a mere ten seconds before he noticed Trunks was staring harshly at him. Pleased that he seemed to get the message, Goten glanced away and ignored everyone else's presence in the room.

"That hadn't stopped you before, so why now?" Goten teased slightly raising his eyebrows and laughed at the now not so amused Bulla.

"True, true, but maybe someone had a change of heart and obviously doesn't want me here," Bulla nudged Trunks' side as she emphasized the word "someone".

"Who wouldn't want you around?" Bulla slightly blushed at her interest's statement. Did he just admit that she was cool, interesting and beautiful enough to hang around with?

Bulla didn't have much of a problem facing self-consciousness growing up: her father reassured her that she was 1000x better than all the male humans of the species and that she could easily attract someone with the looks she possesses. Her mother told her that she was super-intelligent, a daring personality to possess and beautiful. Not to mention her other friends and family told her this also. If she really had a tough time facing the facts, sure she'd be upset, spaz out and take her anger out on Vegeta and Trunks (occasionally Pan). But Bulla didn't want to resort to that anymore—she preferred healthy communication, unlike Vegeta and Trunks who prefer fighting most of the time.

"I would say the same for you, Goten," Trunks joked, but Goten turned a little pale—obviously not getting the joke.

Bulla didn't even notice, but she smiled humouredly towards Goten. It was like she was reassuring him that he shouldn't pay much attention to what he says and all that. That made Goten feels calm and comfortable all the way more. Kami, did Goten ever adore her smile; it showed her near perfect pearly whites and it shone brightly which could attract any male from its flirty shine.

"So what's the movie about?"

"A gang of escaped convicts escape and they steal innocent identities, blackmail the judge to grant them diplomatic immunity, etc," Trunks explained.

"Sounds interesting enough," Bulla nodded, giving her approval for the movie, "but is it good?"

"Apparently—otherwise, why would I check it out?"

"So you watch films based on the critiques and not upon your own interest in it?"

"You know Trunks—he's self-conscious enough to worry about what other people think about his jokes," Goten piped in by flirtingly smiling towards Bulla. In reaction to this, Bulla giggled. Who knew that her brother's best friend was so charming and funny?

Now that she thought about it, Goten would probably try out for a chance to be her type. Before, she was looking for dark, nice and handsome, and that he had to connect with her to feel an attraction. Now, Bulla wanted to be with someone who shared the same interests, made her laugh, and whether if they genuinely care about her and not about her family's fortune and fame. That could be a reason why she wasn't dating anybody in the latest, at least, that was what she told her parents. In full detailed truth, she wasn't interested in the least for looking for somebody to love.

"You're too funny Goten," Bulla winked quickly but simple enough for Goten to tell that she was unto him.

"Shh, it's on!" Trunks jabbed his sister in the ribs quieting her down while he grabbed a handful of pretzels in his left hand.

But this didn't stop Bulla from sitting a tiny bit closer to Goten, raising a curious and somewhat worried glance from Goten, and an unaware older brother who was too interested in the starting credits to notice anything suspicious.

For the first half hour, things tended to go smooth and perfect between the boys and girl. There wasn't much flirting going on, but occasionally, Bulla would brush her hand against Goten's thigh making Goten turn a dark shade of red for a moment. Not long after, Goten continued to play her game—he would throw his arm around her shoulders for an irritating five seconds before pretending it never happened. This annoyed Bulla for some reason, and so she decided to play by different rules. She smirked—she could get in trouble for this, but what would Trunks do to his best friend?

And so Bulla pretended to be frightened at the sight of a drug deal gone bad turned murder, and so she quickly flung her arms around Goten's torso—while she pretended to shiver in fright.

Goten looked on in surprise—he knew that Bulla wasn't a scared-y-cat when it came to these types of movies. What was she trying to play? What was Bulla trying to prove? Was she openly flirting with him without making it obvious to Trunks? If that was the case, she was quite clever but only if she knew that he already had a girlfriend.

There wasn't much left to do in this situation accept take opportunity and flirt with her back. Goten hated to lead her on like that, but what else was he supposed to do? Reject her advances? Trunks would pick up on that. He'd know that his sister had a thing for him. He'd know that Goten would be the one to blame.

"Goten, could you please pass some popcorn?" Bulla asked sweetly without tearing her eyes off from the screen.

"Sure," He muttered before leaning to his right to grab the bowl of homemade popcorn. Goten offered a handful to her, but not before brushing his strong hands against her own petite ones. The two nearly gasped in shock as they felt an electric current run through them for a few moments before fading away. But they knew better—Trunks could be watching.

At that time, Bulla tore her gaze from the television and gazed deep into Goten's dark and mysterious black hues. This didn't go unnoticed by Trunks, but he knew that Goten was also staring into his sister's eyes also. That's it. The flirting had to stop.

"Bulla, do you need anything?"

"Yeah, I could use some more Grape soda and some chips, please," Bulla replied, breaking the eye contact between her and Goten.

She couldn't believe it! She had been caught flirting with Goten and now the poor boy was going to pay the price. Bulla was embarrassed to say the least, but she couldn't help but still feel the intense gaze from Goten and the heated touch they shared when he passed the popcorn. She felt herself tense up, trying to hide any unusual behaviors from herself. Bulla didn't want this to happen, but she couldn't help it. It happened anyway. She wanted to tear her hair out, but Bulla knew she was overreacting. Maybe Trunks hadn't noticed. Maybe he had. She wasn't stupid as to think the two of them wouldn't ever get caught, but she was wrong. If only Bulla had stayed in her room in the first place. If only she didn't have the urge to go downstairs and watch this movie with them, knowing that Goten would also try something on her. But did all of this mean she regretted doing this? Bulla didn't know. She knew she didn't feel regret, but she did have to admit she was deeply embarrassed.

"Come on, Goten, you know my sister—she asks way more than what she says," Trunks spat out with as little anger as he could muster. He suddenly felt the urge to bitch-slap his friend as hard as he could. All because he was putting some moves on his little sister.

"Sure thing," Goten replied calmly. But in the inside, he felt so embarrassed and he also felt like he was going to get quite a pounding from Trunks. Yes, he was a clever one: he could put two and two together. If only Goten said no the whole movie thing at his place. For some reason, he didn't think that Bulla would join them that time around, but obviously he was quite wrong in the least.

"What do you think you're doing, Goten?" Trunks smacked his friend in the head once they reached the kitchen.

"What are you talking about?"

Trunks scoffed. "Don't play dumb with me. I saw the way you looked at her. I'm only saying this once. Back off."

"I'm not trying anything Trunks. You know I'm already in a relationship with Valese."

"Sure didn't look that way when I caught you touching my sister."

"Look, I know you're concerned, but there's nothing to worry about."

"You're damn right there isn't anything going on—if there is, you better hope that I'll go easy on you."

"You've never been easy on me, especially when we fought in that tournament a few years back."

"Exactly. Try anything else, you're dead."

"I already told you I'm not looking for another woman," Goten flared his hands up in defense, but it didn't look good for him.

"Good. Just so we understand each other," Trunks expression went from a protective, concerned older brother to the best friend Goten always knew. Was he in the clear, or was it clearly another trap for Goten to unwittingly fall into?

Before he could say anything else, Trunks left the kitchen, leaving Goten alone for a few brief moments.

What did he get himself into?


	4. Lustrous Reality

**Chapter 4**

_Each time Bulla Briefs would have a dream, she'd try to recognize her surroundings. But this time, it was pretty different- she didn't even have to glance around to know that the setting of her dream was at the living room. Though her curiosity aroused as to why she was here of all places, why the room was dark and why she was sitting alone on the couch with nothing but a teen romance book on her lap. Bulla also wondered if this dream had any significant to it. Yes, she knew she was dreaming purely because she remembered heading straight to bed after the movie marathon with Goten and Trunks. _

_Goten. Was he going to be in this dream? Was he going to be seducing her like he already did in the first dream she had of him? Well, technically, it wasn't the first dream she had of him- it was the first one where they nearly did it. Not that Bulla was going to try and stop him. According to one of her self-help books that her mother got her, a good way to get a man is play hard to get or to just let him come to you. No questions asked. Let's see what happens right? _

_For the past fifteen minutes, in the dream, nothing happened. Bulla sighed. Maybe she had to take the initiative. _

_Before any move could be made, footsteps were ringing loud and clear and they were also getting closer to where Bulla was. At first she was frightened, but then her fear was vanished and curiosity surfaced beneath her soul. Was it Goten or was it someone else? If it was Goten, then her heart would pound faster and faster, and it would also soar into the night sky. She also felt anxious. What would happen? What would he do? What would she do? The last thing Bulla wanted to do was screw up in front of Goten. Yes, this may be a dream but it may as well be the greatest dream she ever had. But why was she sounding self-conscious? She was also sounding if she was in love with the guy. Bulla didn't even know if she got her facts straight. Well, she was going to have a talk with her friends..._

"_Bulla?"_

"_G-Goten?" She jumped up in surprise but also in shock as Bulla immediately glanced to the half-Saiyan boy who seemed to be also surprised to see her as well. Though she couldn't help but wonder why- he was in her house after all. _

"_What are you doing here all alone?"_

"_J-just reading a book," Bulla waved her teen romance reading material nervously, but showed it to him nonetheless to prove that her facts were straight. "Why are you here?"_

_Goten didn't reply. Instead he sat on the couch, moving closer to Bulla. This did not go unnoticed by her and she started to get nervous and much more anxious and embarrassed. _

"_I just came to do this," Goten said before caressing Bulla's lustrous lips with his own irresistible ones. Immediately sparks of attraction were flowing through them, and it excited Bulla- she started to feel lust for this man, and if he needed to get some, she'd be willing to reciprocate. She began to smooch back with as much delicacy and power as she could. For some reason, Bulla wanted Goten to know her feelings towards him and the attraction they felt for each other was so strong that it was like he could read her thoughts. Goten's sneaky tongue asked for entrance as it licked along the bottom lip, almost like it was torturing her to make her allow it to enter. Bulla had no objection: she let the tongue in with open arms and used her own tongue to battle for dominance. Since she was a determined person, Bulla wouldn't give up on the battle and in the end, she won. _

_She wanted to scream out in happiness as Goten's body brushed up against hers as his arms snaked around her own petite waste. His fingers curled softly but tortously around her butt, squeezing it without using his full strength. Bulla moaned in pleasure as his soft touches and loving kisses continued, and she didn't want it to stop. A fire was burning deep within her and she wanted it to go up in flames, bursting with the need to be satisfied. Being the stubborn girl that she was, Bulla decided to take initiative and control of the current situation. _

_Smiling evilly, she rolled unexpectedly on top of Goten and surprised him in the process. She leaned forward with her hands seductively placed on Goten's chest while her ass was on his hard on- and like Bulla had planned, he placed his hands on top of that and squeezed it hard. An instant bold of electric current rushed through her and she knew she needed more from him. With a pout on her face, and closing her eyes while doing so, she started to place small powerful kisses on his jawline, moving towards the main target: his pulse in his neck. She didn't know how he would take it- her being in control. _

_But he didn't seem to care as she nearly shredded his t-shirt just to get to his well-toned worked out body. Bulla growled in approval as she massaged his abs, gaining a small pleasure nod from Goten. She didn't know why but she felt the need to impress him with everything that she's got. To her, it mattered what he thought of her. But since she had a big ego, she figured that he thought she was the best one that he ever had. After all, why would he continue to be pleasured by his best friend's sister? _

_Before any other moves could be made, the front door of the compound slammed in furious anger. This could only tell what or who would release its contaminate rage. Bulla felt extremely worried that her family would discover what was going on. She and Goten were making out on the couch in a privately public place where anybody could come in without even knowing what's going on. At first, she didn't care and only wanted to give in to her lust, but Bulla knew she had to have better self-control than that. She didn't want Goten and herself to be caught in a war where they'd be separated, and they would never see each other again._

"_Wait a second, Goten," Bulla tried so damn hard to not moan in pleasure when Goten was raining butterfly kisses down her neck and to her collarbone. It only made her more eager to finish what he started. The love that he was showing to her was like an irresistible drug and that she couldn't get unhooked from it. Bulla was pretty sure that it was a sign that she and Goten belong with each other._

"_What is it?" Goten pulled away, finally noticing something was up with Bulla's behavior. _

"_Didn't you hear that? Somebody's watching us Goten," She whispered worriedly but jumping off of her fling which caused Goten to be confused._

"_I didn't hear anything."_

_Now that Bulla thought about it, she didn't hear or sense anyone in the room or in the house for that matter. Was she being paranoid about their relationship? Was she worried that they could get caught so much that she thought she was hearing things? Bulla had to calm down. She wasn't about to risk this big chance with Goten. He probably thought she was paranoid as well. _

"_You're right- I must have been imagining things," she laughed nervously before sitting down beside Goten on the couch. _

"_So where were we?" He began to suckle and nip at the back of Bulla's neck which she reacted by throwing her head backwards to topple on top of Goten. _

"_Goten," Bulla moaned as she felt a flushing colour of red flash across her cheekbones as Goten continued to pleasure her aching and throbbing body. The mysterious look in his expressive eyes hypnotized her as they gazed in one another opposite hues. She felt even more turned on, and she secretly wished that he could just take her. Goten laid her back down on the couch while he carefully slipped her out of her ruby red blouse- another sign that it was a dream- rather slowly. _

"_Goten," She whined, letting him know that she needed his touch rather urgently. If he didn't make the first moves soon, Bulla knew that she was going to have to take the lead. Did he have any experience whatsoever? Well, he must have seeing that there was indeed a possibility of him having a girlfriend. But if he had one, why did he have the need to sleep with Bulla then? How come that he would prefer her?_

_She considered the possibility of taking leadership but soon that thought vanished into thin air: She felt the incredibly hot and steamy kisses on the side column of her neck as Goten unbuttoned her bra. Bulla thought it couldn't have taken any longer, but from the slow painful way he was doing it, she was considering of leading this little session of theirs. _

_Bulla also had to consider the major possibility called sex. Hell yeah, she was still a virgin and that she had barely been with any man- and that made it difficult to possess any real experience. A nerve wrack of emotions were held within her at this very moment: scared, nervous, lusty, impatient and annoyed were just to name a few. But she also felt like this was going according to her wildest dreams and fantasies. Of course, being the virgin that she was, she didn't think she would do this with Goten. But she could really care less right now, as she saw the moments when he was stripping her out of her snow-white skinny jeans..._

"_What the hell is going on here?"_

"_D-daddy?" Bulla gulped anxiously as her heart beat soared and she knew that she was in trouble. There was nothing else she could have possibly said that could make this all better, but she knew that she would never do anything to get Goten in trouble without causing serious harm to her pride herself. _

"_I specifically said that I forbade you from seeing him, and as for you, you're just one step away from getting castrated," Vegeta growled out, staring coldly from Bulla to Goten in a few seconds. _

_He didn't merely look mad- he looked terrifyingly scary. His kii was ascending quite quickly and if possible, he could transform into a Super Saiyan 5 without even noticing. The cold and distant look on the Prince of Saiyans face was enough to damage one's pride or traumatize a person every once in a while, and it looked like now was one of those times. _

"_Daddy what are you talking about?" Bulla threw back on her blouse, stepping in front of the half-naked Saiyan who was just as embarrassed as she was. "You're not hurting anybody and if you are," She dangled off the empty threat, but Bulla hoped that her father would get the right message._

_Just because she wasn't into fighting as much as the others didn't mean she was weak- in fact, it was quite the opposite. Around sixty percent of the time, Bulla would show up somewhat scathed and broken while Vegeta and/or Trunks would appear to be just as bruised and bleeding. _

"_I don't give second chances to people who don't deserve it," He scowled while looking at the half-Saiyan boy lying on the couch. Even the great son of Goku was afraid of him sometimes. _

"_Don't blame him!" Bulla cried out, feeling much more anxious about the one person who never had the guts to hurt her- in fact, it was the opposite. He brought her great pleasure and she felt horrible for Vegeta finding out about the truth about them. _

"_Oh? And who should I blame?"_

_Bulla didn't reply. She let her head fall down in hurtful rejection as she thought about what would happen to Goten. How could she have been this stupid? She didn't want this to happen and now her Goten was going to pay the price. If only these stupid feelings didn't get in the way of what she wanted. Was this what it was like to have human feelings? Was this what it was like to love and cherish? Was this how she felt with Goten?_

_If there was anybody to blame here, it would be Bulla, for certain. But she didn't know how to say it. She would be denounced from the family and would be written with the word shame on her forehead. Well, maybe not- seeing that she knew her father would still love her for who she was. But according to what her mother told her, back on Planet Vegeta, he would have banished her from the family and she would only be known as a harlot. She was lucky that Vegeta didn't have things his way and that nearly all of the Saiyan race had been extinguished. _

"_Don't hurt him father, please," She begged, blocking the arrogant prince from Goten's view. _

"_Why is that?"_

"_He didn't hurt me at all and this is how you repay him? With an ass-kicking?"_

"_It's more than an ass-kicking and I can tell you that much," Vegeta scoffed crossing his arms across his chest in the process. _

"_Now move, I have work to do," Vegeta snapped, pushing his young daughter out of the way so he could progress his way to Goten._

"_No!"_

Bulla screamed as the dream continued to flash before her very memory before opening her eyes and sitting up abruptly in her bed.

Sweat poured down from her body as she remembered what had happened in her dream. God, it was too real and she could only thank him for that. This could have been a reality. This could be a sign that she and Goten wouldn't even last, and that they could only be friends. Was this what it was like to feel something for someone? For once, Bulla didn't wish she was human. She didn't want to deal with the feelings and the pain she 'd be feeling afterward. In a way, she wanted this to be all over.

This was what made her so weak- she had these types of feelings. Bulla didn't want to feel anything for any type of man, but she wanted to live her life to the fullest by shopping for clothes, the occasional training session with her family and hanging out with her friends. Like normal people. But her family wasn't normal. Goten's family wasn't normal. Was there anything normal about half-Saiyans possessing the urge and need to take one another? Maybe Bulla was finally wanting to get some.

There wasn't much to do about the current situation, believe it or not. She could squash these feelings away without much of a glance as the past would be behind her or she could defy this vision of what could happen to her and Goten if they got caught of whatever they were doing. But who knew? Maybe this was just a nightmare and didn't mean anything. There couldn't be truly any consequences as bad if they got caught sleeping together, but would Bulla risk that?

There was also the matter of age difference. In today's society, a sixteen year old was underage and that was how old Bulla was. But Goten was much older, around the age of twenty one or twenty three- which was impossibly illegal for her and for him to get together. Normally, Bulla would have followed the rules like a good human, but she wasn't a human that followed Earth laws. She hated to follow them. Whenever possible, Bulla would take the opportunity to screw the rules and follow her intuition.

So what were her instincts telling her to do? They weren't helping the current situation as it were and they didn't tell her squat of what the plan was. Bulla was frustrated at this. With nothing or no one to help her, how could she deal with Goten now?


	5. The Stubborn Brigade

**Chapter 5 **

The worst part of being in a deep load of trouble, was that you're going to have to ask for help to get through it. Or that you would be told that you'd have to go through it on your own to learn a lesson. OR the possibility that no one would tell you anything helpful.

Bulla was thinking this over since the dream the previous night, and she considered asking for help for what she should do. She considered (desperately) to tell her mom but then backed down, Bulla wanted to tell her brother but he would go on a freaking spazz attack on Goten so she left that out on the list, and she even had the idea to tell her dad, but like Trunks he would go ballistic on the poor boy. There was only one viable option – her best friend Pan. Of course she'd leave out the name of said half-Saiyan but she'd tell Pan for sure. She could never hide anything from her, not even if she tried. Pan was the only person that could pick up on her if she was lying; maybe it was because she was the only Saiyan female that had intuition. Either way, Bulla was in trouble and she was certain the only person she could tell was Pan.

Oh, and you'd think that the rest of her family wouldn't notice – she was wrong, but she didn't know it. Bulla wasn't entirely fooled that Vegeta wasn't poking into her business but she didn't have proof to say that he was constantly ruling in her shadow either. Trunks, well, she knew that he didn't care about what she did with her life. Well, with other stuff than boys anyway. Bulma was unfortunately hard to lie to – she always said that Bulla was exactly like her at one time in her life and that she knew what she was up to. So really, just to sum things over, family wouldn't help her.

"Spit it out, Bulla," Bulma chuckled, breaking her teenage daughter out of her daydreaming.

Though Bulma would like to know what got her little girl up in a fix, she was also amused that Bulla always had the same reaction when she asked or told her what was the problem. Considering that this was the fifteenth time she was caught daydreaming about something – or someone – Bulla shouldn't be so surprised as to when someone was asking a question.

"What are you talking about?" _Just act natural,_ Bulla told herself. Today, she was supposed to be relaxing under the warm summer sun but without any new clothes to look good on her figure and not to mention the fact that she couldn't use the outdoor pool, what was the point? Plus, it was much hotter than it usually was, and nobody else bothered going outside into the heat.

Bulla wasn't sure that thinking about Goten under the sun would be appropriate. She could imagine the worst possible scenarios and all because the heat going to her head. She even wondered why sometimes.

Bulma laughed, making Bulla seeming irritable. "You know what I'm talking about, or should I say who I'm talking about."

"That's ridiculous, Mom, I'm not thinking about anyone."

"You're just as stubborn as your father." Bulla grinned evilly at this statement; she was pleased that her mother couldn't get any answer from her. At times, Bulla confessed some major things in her life that her mom HAD to help her with but most of the time she kept secrets to herself. Her only confidante would be Pan and nobody else. Apparently, her mother must have figured this out, she was like her father in that way. Yes Bulla looked like she was a carbon copy of her mom but there were similarities between Vegeta and Bulla.

"But don't think I'm going to let this go for now," Bulma warned with a threatening glaze in her ocean blue hues.

"You've been acting weird lately honey, I want to help you." Bulma sat down next to her daughter and tried to get eye contact with her.

Bulla didn't want to answer her because there was nothing to say. She didn't want her mom to know anything. Period. But apparently Bulma couldn't take no for an answer. If there was anything to say to her, what was there to say? That she thinks she has an attraction towards Goten? That they couldn't be together because of obvious reasons being Vegeta and possible relationships that either of them are in? No. Bulla didn't want to talk about it. Period.

"I don't want to talk about it Mom." There was nothing more uncomfortable than your mother asking you personal questions, and that was how Bulla felt at that moment.

"Okay honey," Bulma nodded but felt disappointed within herself. The tone of her daughter's voice was basically saying that she should mind her own business. She did feel hurt that Bulla preferred to not talk about whatever or whomever was bothering her, but then she had to realize that there were things that her children had to deal with on their own. The similarities between her husband and Bulla became clearer and clearer. Not that she hated the fact that her daughter was more like her father in a lot of ways, but sometimes she found it slightly irritating.

Bulma also wondered if Bulla wanted to talk about things with only Vegeta. Maybe she wanted to get into fighting or something like that. Or maybe it was her Saiyan heritage that was bothering her and confusing her at that. If that was the case – which it probably was – then she should be asking Vegeta straight off. Considering the fact that the two of them were super close, it wouldn't be a problem.

Come to think of it, what if her daughter was in love with someone? That had to be the case because this situation was similar to Bulma's back in the day when she was sixteen and dreaming of her perfect Prince Charming. But whether or not if this was the same situation, Bulma couldn't tell.

"Whatever is bothering you, you have to let it go okay?" Bulma tucked back a few strands of cerulean blue hair back behind Bulma's ears. Yet another inheritance from Vegeta.

No matter what anybody said, Bulla couldn't let it go. At least, until she talked to Pan about it. Bulla also felt frustrated that she couldn't let this go at all since she didn't unload all her fears and irritations out on anybody. Even fighting wouldn't do much for her. If only her family would understand this was a big deal, but Bulla didn't exactly tell them that. There was nothing to understand. There was nothing to tell. Chapter closed. Or was it?

"What if it's something you can't let go?"

"It would help if you could talk about it Bulla."

"I can't! No one would understand," Bulla immediately left the kitchen leaving her mother sitting confusedly and wondering.

What made Bulla think that no one would understand? Well, Vegeta might not know what the problem would be, Trunks wouldn't care that much and Bulma would honestly say that she'd know what it would be if she just told her. Why did her only girl have to be this stubborn? Even Trunks was just as stubborn as his father when he was a kid, but not so much now. Maybe it was a freak gene trend?

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3: 3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

She knew it. No damn body could understand what she was going through. Yes, she might be exaggerating it a little but that was besides the point. Attraction was a trauma to Bulla and she never felt it before to any man regardless. She was sixteen for Christ's sake and to think that she felt horny as hell when she dreamed about Goten was not any excuse at all. Of course her mom told her about what she was like when she was sixteen. She had the same attitude – she needed a boyfriend and constantly had these sexual fantasies all the same. But Bulla was different. She did not want a boyfriend and she did not fantasize about jumping Goten. Okay, big lie – she did dream about sleeping with Goten.

She literally couldn't help it but what made her dream of those things all of a sudden? She didn't know. Bulla wasn't attracted to Goten all her life thus far, so why start now? She didn't know when it started so it made her bitter and frustrated to no end. Well, maybe she just needed to release some stress. And what better to do that than shopping?

Bulla breathed in and out calmly as she went to her room to grab her purse. Buying new things without any negative repercussions was exactly the therapy she needed to endure this mess. That's right – it was a mess and she didn't know how to clean it up. Either don't see Goten anymore or try to squash the feelings she had for him even lower than humanly possible.

She also had to admit that her mom was right: she had to let this go. Even though she didn't know what she was thinking of. If Bulla still thought about this every day, every second, every minute, every hour then everybody in the whole frigging world would know something's wrong. Well it sucks to be them: because Bulla wasn't going to be telling anybody what her problem was. But could she really call it a problem?

Once Bulla reached the safe vanities of her room, her resolve to go shopping instantly flopped. She didn't feel like going anywhere. All she wanted to do was sleep and forget all her problems for the one day. If she could, she wanted to forget them for the rest of her life. But that wouldn't be the mature way to deal with problems. Yeah, well, she wasn't like her mother. She was more like her dad in that aspect. Come to think of it, Bulla had a theory that she only inherited her mother's looks while she gained Vegeta's stubbornness amongst other things. Such as the ability to NOT deal with problems or feelings. If Bulla had her way – like 75% of the time – she wouldn't have to deal with anything. But this was different. Being infatuated with somebody was definitely something she'll have to deal with.

Then there was the matter of restless sleeping; Bulla would definitely have to go to bed earlier and try not to think about Goten at all. The problem was she was fantasizing about him every single night since he came over to hang out. She needed self-control but she knew it was going to be harder than she thought. Who wouldn't get their panties in a bunch when they're hanging out with someone as handsome and dark as Goten? Who wouldn't feel like they're falling under the ice when they look into his eyes? Not that Bulla was one of those people. Okay, big lie – she did feel those things when hanging out with him.

To be perfectly honest, the only time she could handle him was when other people were around. Not in private. So she wouldn't have to worry about that; her father would go psycho in the least if Goten and herself were hanging around in the private eye. Trunks wouldn't approve of it either, so at least she had some excuse.

She also had to sort out the feelings she had for him. She knew she thought about this over a thousand times; Bulla wasn't in love and she won't ever be. Boys aren't the key to living her life so why start now? Love was for people who needed it. Bulla wasn't any one of those people who do. Then why did she feel like what she was telling herself a huge lie?

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

In the midst of everything that was going on, the former chairwoman of Capsule Corp still had her luxury of inviting old friends to chat and drink tea with. Since Bulma didn't have as many girlfriends as she used to back in the day, Chi Chi was the only woman who was capable of filling the position and who had birthed two Saiyan children as well. Not that Bulma was basing her friendship on that, but it was good to know.

"So what's going on with you, Chi Chi?"

"You should be asking my son that," Chi Chi scoffed as she took a quick sip of her honey lemon tea – perfectly boiled and just the right amount of lemon juice in it. That hit the spot...

"You mean Goten?"

"Yeah how did you know?"

"You mean it doesn't seem suspicious to you that both of our youngest children are always daydreaming?" Bulma hinted as she took a sip of her own tea.

"Not Goten. He's always out with Valese; promiscuous girl," Chi Chi added under her breath to make sure that Bulma didn't hear her.

"Haven't you ever seen him act or look weird before, Chi Chi?"

"Now that you mention it, he had been having these dreams at night about some girl, and he also did drift apart every single dinner time we have as a family."

"Same goes for Bulla, she's always thinking about something. Or someone."

"Ohhhhh. You think they're into each other?" Chi Chi raised her eyebrows unbelievably as her female friend told her latest theory.

Since all they had was circumstantial evidence that Goten and Bulla COULD like each other that way, neither of them didn't really say anything in specifics as to who liked who and what not. Chi Chi, believe it or not, would prefer it if Goten dated someone like him but Bulla was a little too young for her son. Not to mention that she knew that Vegeta would absolutely disapprove of it if he found out.

"I know they're into each other," Bulma winked before the two women started to laugh their butts off, occasionally spitting out half of their tea.

"I wouldn't kid you about something like that, remember, we were sixteen at one time."

"Tell me about it. Remember the time when Goku thought marriage was a type of food?" Chi Chi giggled, glad to recall some great times with her friends and family back in the day. Those were the days when she had very few cares in the world...

"So where is Goku these days?" To be honest, Bulma wanted to ask this question in a serious format. Since she and Goku were friends for very large period of time, she figured she would know where he went and all that. But apparently, Goku liked to run off on all these different adventures so it was hard to coordinate his location.

"Oh? You mean the jerk who abandoned me with all the duties to take care of my precious Goten? Please, he's probably off somewhere fighting somebody," Chi Chi waved her hands in retaliation before crossing them in front of her chest.

Bulma giggled. She found it amusing every single time that Chi Chi was pissed off at her husband for leaving her with her kids to go and fight. Seems like you couldn't take fighting out of a Saiyan. Unfortunately, this situation applied with Bulma and Vegeta time to time so she couldn't really laugh at Chi Chi. Otherwise, she'd be laughing at herself too.

"And where's Vegeta?"

"Oh you know, probably in the GR again."

"Hey, I've got an idea! Let's trade mates. Goku for Vegeta, eh?" Chi Chi joked, making a reference to the days when they've been partying hard celebrating the dark days of Buu.

Bulma laughed wholeheartedly in response. She knew how much Vegeta hated Goku supposedly but he disliked Goku's wife just as much. Though she didn't know why.

"What are you blasting women blabbering on about?"

"Speaking of the devil..."

The two of them couldn't contain their laughter any longer as they looked at Vegeta every once in a while. His reaction seemed to make them giggle louder even more: he was in a mixed state of confused and anger. He was the Prince of all Fucking Saiyans for crying out loud! Speaking of him in such a manner, and especially being traded off like a slave would have gotten them killed back on Planet Vegeta. Unfortunately, the planet wasn't existing any longer, so those two wenches were lucky.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the GR?"

"It's been over twenty years and you still can't fix the damn machine?" Vegeta smirked, trying to rile up his mate.

"It's been over twenty years and you still can't use my name?"

"Whatever, woman." And just like that, the game between the Prince of Saiyans and the former queen of Capsule Corp vanished. Oh, those were the days when all they did was insult each other...

"Anyway, Goten's turning twenty-five and we're holding a party for him, so I guess it would be a dumb question if I ask you were you planning to go?"

"Your son is turning twenty-five and he is the son of Goku, so we're not really planning to miss it. When is it?"

"It's next week."

And so the female friends continued to chat about the most normal things other women would talk about. Weather. Men. Clothes. Family. That sort of thing. But it wasn't like Bulma thought her life was anything except abnormal. In fact, this was the kind of life that she thought she was interested in, and she was proud of it.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

"Wake up, brat! Your mother told me that supper is ready," Vegeta grumbled just loud enough for the teen heiress of Capsule Corp to hear. She was lucky that she inherited the hearing, but there were drawbacks.

"Five more minutes..." Bulla whined, trying to convince her ever angry father to go on without her.

"Keh. That's what you said five minutes ago. Now UP!" Vegeta's annoyance was increasing quite drastically and so was his patience. Part of it was that he didn't have a good day due to certain women talking shit about him and that no one would even THINK about eating anything without all the family members. When that rule was established, he didn't know and didn't care to know.

"Leave me alone!" Bulla, always doing things in the heat of the moment, threw one of her fluffy pillows at him. Like Vegeta, her patience was also growing thin. Why couldn't anybody leave her alone for once?

Vegeta didn't reply, but instead he marched right to the half-awake girl lying down on her bed. Unexpectedly, he grabbed her petite arm and somewhat threw her down unto the ground. Not enough to hurt her obviously, but enough to damage her pride in some way.

"Hey! Why did you do that for? My head HURTS!" Bulla screeched, causing Vegeta to flinch. Hell. She was just like her mother.

"Consider yourself lucky you brat; I'm not going to wait downstairs to eat while your fat ass is sleeping!"

"Well, you didn't have to throw me out of the door you know!" Bulla nearly ran past him. She didn't want to face her dad right now. Not only was he being a big jerk, it was because he might know what was going on with her right now. Hell, her mom probaly even put him up to the task. Remembering what Bulma said to her about not letting it go, Bulla sighed heavily.

"Taking a nap, honey?" Bulma asked as her daughter entered the kitchen.

"Trying to, until that idiot I call my Dad had to go all Saiyan on me," Bulla scoffed, showing her irritation.

Bulma rubbed her temples. Not only was Vegeta incredibly stubborn, he was also quite stupid. Over the years since she became a teenager, Vegeta had a nasty habit of going through her room unwanted and demanded to know what was her problem. Bulma warned him not to do that, but he didn't listen. Looked like Vegeta still had that stubbornness. Why couldn't he learn? When Bulla was pretty damn busy doing other stuff, aka sleeping, Vegeta should know better than to barge in unwanted. Served him right.

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, Mom, it's not your fault," Bulla said, trying to comfort her stressed mom.

"Hey, Mom," Trunks butted in, which in Bulla's case was quite fortunate for the excellent timing. As much as Bulla loved her family, comforting them weren't exactly her strongest points in life.

"Trunks, I'm glad to see that you've finally made it for at least one family dinner."

"Mom, you know that I'm busy taking care of the shit you used to do for a living, remember?"

"Right," Bulma grinned at her son who immediately took a place at the dining room table, along with Bulla.

Bulla sighed heavily. This was going to be a long night...

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

You'd think that yet again, the Briefs family would have an uncomfortable dinner instead of a normal one. Wrong. This time, Bulla shut out her emotions and put on her normal facade of an obsessive shopper. It all started when Trunks started talking about Goten's birthday.

"Yes honey, we know, we're going."

"All of us?" Bulla asked, trying not to sound so suspicious. Unfortunately for her, Vegeta was also growing suspicious of Bulla's actions. He was wondering what was up with her but he knew better than to ask her at a time like this.

"You just wanna hang around Goten again," Trunks teased causing his younger sister to blush in embarrassment.

"So what? There's nothing wrong with friends hanging out!" Bulla raised her voice slightly frustrated that everybody else would get the wrong idea that they weren't friends to say the least. She hoped that her friendship with Goten wouldn't pique any interest from her family, asides from Trunks. Unfortunately, there was one angry family member who was not happy with this development.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

Never once did Goten, the son of the most powerful Saiyan in the universe, feel nervous and scared of what was about to go on.

The last time he saw his girlfriend Valese was at the restaurant, and apparently she accused him of thinking of another girl. That was true – but it wasn't like he'd tell her something like that. Even though his mother raised him to be an honest gentleman, it didn't mean that he should be one in this case. He was scared that he was going to lose Valese, but Goten was sort of relieved to get rid of her too.

He even wondered if this relationship was going to last at all. Probably not. Valese always wanted to pick a fight with him, even if he wasn't thinking about Bulla. If she knew that there was another girl in his life, aside from his mother, relationship would be over no question about it. But Goten wasn't desperate enough to let that happen. He would apologize and hopefully she would accept it. If not, well, we all know how the world is going to end for Goten. He even pondered what he was going to say when she found him on her doorstep. Would she still be angry about what happened? There still was the major possibility. But if Goten didn't say sorry to her, what was he to do? Abandon his relationship? No. This was one of his first major things with a girl for a long period of time. Did he want to give this up?

"Goten," Valese greeted coldly, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Valese, it's you."

"I was wondering if you even worked up the nerve to show up at my front door."

"Listen, I just came to apologize for my behavior." Valese looked like she was about to cry, but then she smiled.

"I'm glad you came, Goten," She quickly made her way to give her boyfriend a hug, whom she didn't think would push her away.

Goten returned the embrace, but he felt like he shouldn't have. He didn't know what the feeling was, but, he knew that the feelings he had before for Valese had disappeared.

Now, he was feeling sick to his stomach. Was it because of his instincts telling him that Valese wasn't the one for him? Maybe. Now he just wondered...

"I'm invited to your birthday right?"

"Of course, you are my girlfriend after all," Goten knew this wasn't the truth for much longer. The only problem was, how was Valese going to take it if he broke up with her?

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

~~ **Sorry for the long update – it was supposed to come out a few days ago, but with my stupid teachers accusing me of doing treachorous things and lecturing me with their teacher shit talk, well... sorry, but here it is! Hope you readers continue ****to review, like you've wonderfully done in the past :D ~~**


	6. Lovey Dovey Awkwardness

**Chapter 6**

**~~Hey guys! I apologize for the long update – my internet connection kept crashing, but it's all better now! Just to let you know, this story is now rated T for a variety of reasons so don't expect Bulla and Goten to go at it! Sorry! Anyway, I plan to make this up to you by expanding the updates to twice a week now, so you'll believe me when I update on May 18th :D ~~**

Call her obsessive if you want to, but to Bulla – it's far from it. Yes, she had been preparing for her brother's best friend's birthday; shopping (forced her father to come with her, but refused an explanation as to what she was shopping for this time), counting down the calender until the big day (which she had been doing since Trunks had announced it) and figuring out what type of nail polish would look good with her dress.

This party would be pretty important to show off how good she looked, but that thought immediately left her when Trunks said his party was simple and outdoors. So Bulla crossed off the sexy and upper class off the list. So she decided to just wear a pair of low-rise jeans and a blue tank top. Simple yet brilliantly irresistible. Fortunately, she discussed her clothing options with her mother and it was awesome to say that she approved. At least she didn't need Vegeta's opinion.

Right now, Bulla Briefs was tending to the baked cakes and cookies her family would be bringing over to the party. Since Bulma was not getting any younger, Bulla happily volunteered to do the cooking and fortunately, one of her greatest skills – believe it or not – was cooking.

She knew that the way to win a man's heart was through his stomach, so that was what Bulla was planning to do.

Of course, she had to do this without making it seem way too obvious but she was smart for a reason. There was no way that anybody else should ever find out about Goten and her, so why worry now?

You can also call the girl creepy and stalker-like; Bulla went through HELL to find out everything about Goten. Of course she wasn't going to ask Trunks! What kind of idiot did you take her for? So she went through her trusty reliable best friend Pan – who had no clue about Bulla's intentions. Or her feelings for Goten, so to speak so it amused Bulla to know that she won't ever find out. Well, if she had to choose somebody to tell her real feelings for him, it had to be Pan.

And she knew that Pan had feelings for Trunks, obviously, so why not do something nice for once? Well, something nice that would benefit other people, that's what Bulla meant.

"Since when do you cook?" Trunks popped in, eying what concoctions Bulla had created.

"Oh yeah – since you started to have a thing for my best friend," Trunks finished before his little sister could even think of responding.

"I do not have a thing for Goten," Bulla reciprocated, crossing her arms defending herself from Trunks and his nonsense he was saying.

It was true – she was NOT IN LOVE WITH GOTEN. She only had a small unrequited attraction to him, but it wasn't like she would even say something like that to Trunks.

"Whatever," Trunks rolled his eyes and then immediately left the room, leaving Bulla in surprise.

So what? No comebacks, no teasing? Nothing? Every time that Bulla and her brother had a disagreement about the most unimportant or important things, they'd always shout back comebacks to each other. So this situation made the relationship between Bulla and Trunks more awkward than it already was before.

So before Trunks had rudely interrupted Bulla, she was planning to finish icing the cake – apparently, Goten's favourite icing is vanilla and so she bought one case of it just to put on the cake. Yes, this may be extremely creepy, but once Bulla had set her eyes on something, no one could make her look away.

"Bulla? Honey, are you almost ready to go?" Bulma's over patient voice yelled, making sure that her teenage daughter was listening to her. The trouble of having teenage kids was that they hardly ever listen to their parents. Those teenage parents never met Bulma Briefs.

"I'm getting dressed, MOM!" Bulla shrieked back from her room.

Currently she knew that she shouldn't have spent that much time getting the cake done for Goten. Maybe she shouldn't have put that much effort into it. Besides: her good looks were all that mattered anyway. She had just finished putting on her clothes she decided at the last minute to wear, and the only thing that was missing was an extravagant hairstyle.

Should she put it up in a sexy ponytail? Or should she just leave it down? What look would Goten like? Wait. Why would she care about what Goten thought of her? That's right – Trunks thought she had a "thing" for him. Clueless jerk.

"Hurry up, or your father's coming upstairs to get you!"

Bulla rolled her eyes. The most stupidest thing your mother would do in a situation was that sending up somebody who you can so easily manipulate up to your room. Her mother should have known by now that she could trick anybody she so wished. And poor, poor Vegeta always ended up paying the price.

The last time this had happened was Trunks' previous birthday party and she was getting ready. Only she couldn't find her newest set of Jessica McClintock earrings. Since she was already late by half an hour, Bulma was too busy getting the refreshments and talking to Chi Chi – Goten's mother. Anyway, she needed somebody to get her beautiful daughter and unfortunately, she blackmailed Vegeta into getting Bulla from her previous duties to come downstairs and associate with everyone. At that time, Bulla didn't have affections towards Goten. All she wanted to do was hang out with Pan and talk about boys and clothes and fighting. Average girl stuff. In the end though, Vegeta came back down with no one but himself and damn, he looked so embarrassed.

"Thanks a lot sis! We're late by an hour!" Trunks popped in, putting in his not wanted two cents.

Bulla was about to scream an insult back to him before she decided that it was not worth the trouble.

"I'm coming!" She shouted, and luckily, there were no other matters of incantations shouted by her immature older brother or her impatient mother. On the other hand, she was half-tempted to go kick Trunks' ass but hello, she would get sent back from the party and she wouldn't be allowed to impress him. Okay, it's not like her dad or her brother would allow her to impress him, but still. Fighting with her brother + no appearance at the party = disappointing her friends. It was a simple equation – it's a fact.

The party could have gotten a lot worse for Bulla Briefs, but it actually turned out to be an amusing one for Trunks.

At first, the whole thing was going pretty well; There weren't that many people that turned out to the Son Goku's house, but it was a nice sight for Bulla that there weren't many girls that would hog Goten's attention. Wait. What?

Chi Chi and Goku were appreciative (especially Goku) that Bulla turned up with the food and the baked cake and other deserts. At the time, there was no sign of Goten at all. She worried constantly when he was going to show up, and she tried not to make a huge scene about it. If only Trunks didn't ask what was the problem.

"What's wrong Bulla? Your boyfriend didn't show up?" Trunks poked Bulla in the ribs, trying to get her to crack a smile or get a sarcastic response at least.

"He's not my boyfriend. He's too old for me," Bulla yawned as she leaned back against the nearest tree, paying a close watch to any suspicious activity. And by suspicious activity, she meant any unwanted people who was more beautiful than Bulla was to gain Goten's attention.

_Wait, what? No! I'm not jealous! I don't care who Goten hangs out with, do I?_ Bulla pondered to herself.

To be honest, she didn't know why she was acting pretty jealous. Why should she even care if he had a girlfriend? A girlfriend who would pleasure him in all the right ways... UGH! No! Why did she even bother showing up if all she was going to do was kill the girl that was going out with the man she liked? No. She didn't like Goten! Bulla was only attracted to him. God.

"Seriously, Bulls, what's the problem? You look like you've seen an ex-boyfriend."

"Come on, Trunks – you know I haven't dated anyone," Bulla finally decided to maintain eye contact with her brother. A brother who couldn't mind his own business.

"Damn right you haven't dated anybody – I would kill them in their sleep!" Bulla groaned in absolute horror. Why couldn't her brother and her dad mind their own business?

Even though she wasn't interested in boys right now – even though she couldn't admit to herself that she was attracted to Goten in the lovey dovey sense – she didn't want her overprotective father to be making matters worse by threatening the poor guys. That was one reason why she didn't make a move on anybody. Though she had to wonder what he would do to Goten...

"Just ignore him."

"That's what I've been doing for the past few years."

"Really? That sure didn't look like that to me when you get him to go shopping with you," Trunks snorted before taking a sip of his drink.

Ouch. That comment did sort of hurt Bulla's ego, but luckily, she had something bigger on him.

One of the first things she knew about Trunks was that he had a crush on Goten's niece Pan – AKA Bulla's best friend. She had eyes: she could tell the look on his face and how he stuttered around Pan for a while now. Not to mention the fact that Trunks had kept a guy journal and recently wrote that he thought Pan was beautiful. Unfortunately, it had said nothing useful if he wanted to go out with her or not. And this was around a year ago.

"Aww, does my big brother want to take me shopping?" Bulla mocked Trunks by making a cute baby face.

Trunks left immediately after that – which made her giggle and snort at the same time. However, she did not notice Goten coming up behind her.

"Ahh!" Bulla shrieked, spilling her own soda on her pants.

NO NO NO! Ugh. Her pants were ruined! Bulla groaned in displeasure and went to get a napkin from the refreshments table. Unfortunately for her, a certain someone grabbed her wrist stopping her from moving.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Goten chuckled sheepishly, avoiding eye contact.

All he wanted to do was look at her – after all, Bulla looked SO GORGEOUS in the plain shirt and pants she put on. It actually added to her figure, and he could hardly look away from the beautiful curvy hips and her entrancing cerelean blue eyes... But Goten couldn't afford to check her out for a variety of reasons. One, Valese was going to be showing up soon and two, Vegeta and/or Trunks would be killing his toasted ass sometime soon if he did have the nerves to look at her. But who wouldn't?

"Don't worry about it – it's only clothes after all," Bulla brushed off the apology as if it were nothing.

"So... What's up?"

One of the things that Bulla hated the most was awkward silences. But what she hated even more was when said target was asking awkward questions. That would make it more awkward and more embarrasing to Bulla – she would have nothing interesting to say. Awkward to say the least?

"Oh you know, nothing much – birthday boy," Bulla poked her finger playfully at Goten's chest... His gorgeous manly chest that she would do anything to get a glimpse of. Even a sneak peak would do...

"Listen, I was actually looking for you."

Bulla perked up, suddenly interested. "You were?"

"Yeah, I wanted to thank you for the cake that you made. You didn't have to do that."

Then that interest turned into disappointment. Boy, did Bulla feel so bad right now. And stupid and not to mention embarrassment. If only she could talk to Pan right now...

"It was nothing – I wanted to give you something special."

"Uh... thanks, I guess."

"Hey! Goten!"

"Valese, hey! I thought you were going to come up later," Goten kissed his girlfriend on the cheek for a few moments. But not quick enough that Bulla had noticed it.

She knew it. He had a girlfriend. To be honest, she was really pretty: shoulder length wavy, Hollywood brunette hair that shined in the sun, a dashing flirty smile confident enough to gain attention for any man, a model-thin yet healthy body and eyes that sparkled a mahogany chocolate colour. This made her even more self-consious of her own body. Even if she was a Saiyan, and was the daughter of a former Chairwoman of Capsule Corp, she still couldn't help that she wasn't as pretty as this girl Goten was dating apparently.

So Bulla was disappointed somewhat that he had a girlfriend. She didn't think that she was serious that he actually had one, but a new feeling crept in her stomach. Bulla didn't know what it was and her mother didn't teach her of any new feelings she would be experiencing when she would get older.

It was too awkward to even stay in the same position now with Valese in the conversation. Where was Pan when she needed her?

"Valese, this is Trunks' sister, Bulla and Bulla, this is my girlfriend Valese," Goten made the introductions. Valese didn't look interested into knowing anybody who knew Goten – she only nodded a couple times and looked to see how pretty this girl actually was. Bulla did the same thing only that she didn't meet her gaze.

"So you must be Trunks' sister. I've heard so much about you," Valese faked a smile as she started a conversation.

"Oh, um, thanks," Bulla stuttered. Since when did she get so fluttery, shy and nervous around Goten's girlfriend? Oh yeah – another awkward moment.

"So, how did you guys get together?" Bulla asked.

"We met at this fighting tournament a few years back and Goten bumped into me at the concession stand. I was working for experience," Valese explained while she looked lovingly into her boyfriend's eyes.

Bulla narrowed her own blue hues. This lovey dovey crap she was spinning on Goten was making her vile and sick.

"Well, I have to get going, Goten, see you later," Bulla waved farewell and headed back to the refreshment table where she could now see Pan pigging out on the cake that Bulla had made for Goten. Great. She bet that he never even had a slice at all. Well, this could have been worse.

"Pan," Bulla greeted, snapping Pan out of her eating frenzy.

"You don't look so good, Bulls – everything okay?"

"Just met your uncle's girlfriend. Everything is so swell now," Bulla replied sarcastically.

"Yeah I know – I hate her most of the time. She says she's connected with a lot of people and that she was famous, but I just say it's bullshit."

It took Pan a few moments before she twisted what her best friend was saying.

"Wait. Are you jealous?" She placed her hands on her petite hips which was covered by her newly bought low ride jeans.

"Why would I be jealous?" Bulla scoffed. Was that the feeling she felt before? Pure jealousy that Goten was with a girl with like her rather than HER in general? No way! She only held an attraction to Goten. She wasn't in love with him. Was she?

Bulla glanced back toward the happy couple who were currently laughing together on this current topic Valese was talking about when Bulla pulled away. The same vile feeling hurriedly came back in her stomach and Bulla wanted nothing more than to kick that girl's fat ass. But she couldn't. She wasn't worth it. But Goten certainly was, but for once, Bulla couldn't have anything that she wanted. He was already taken.


	7. The Demon Inside

**Chapter 7**

Bulla Briefs would honestly describe herself as a fearless, beautiful and brave young woman with absolutely nothing to fear – as she just told herself. Was that really true? If that was true, she would not have dreamed a terrible nightmare, that yet again concerned herself and Goten.

She basically dreamed it every night, like it was a reminder that whatever happens between her and Goten that this would happen to her.

Dreams are basically non-existent and totally true. Bulla always thought that they never come true and they were only made up from the pinpoints of one's imagination. So then how come it was difficult to convince herself that this would never come true? Was it because she secretly thought that it would come true? Or maybe perhaps that she was afraid of the possibility that it could?

Bulla breathed in and out, trying to do so as calmly as possible. But it was hard to remain calm. Yet she thought it was unbelievable for someone like her to become traumatized about something like this. Well, she did have some feelings for Goten, so maybe this was the first time. Unless Saiyans had super powers to eliminate bad memories from their past, Bulla knew that this was reality now.

She knew that she would not be able to go back to sleep now. Her heart was freaked – it was pounding faster and faster, she would think that she would go into cardiac arrest any moment... Bulla's skin was hot and bothered and her forehead was forming sweat. The nervous kind, not the kind that you were exhausted from running a three mile marathon. The kind where you could go crazy from the heat. The kind when you were about to explode from all the stress.

So, being mature and calm about all of this, Bulla quietly slipped out of her bed covers and tried with all her might to escape the confinements of her bedroom. She knew that her brother and Vegeta had super Saiyan hearing, and if she woke them up... well, they would want to know what the problem was. Then her mother would wake up – instantly feeling worried about her only daughter. Therefore, she would have to explain everything, but Bulla had too much pride to do that. She felt like she should take care of this herself... She was responsible for her own actions and giving up that responsibility would be not like her at all.

"Bulla?"

Bulla nearly screamed when she heard her name whispered gruffly, kind of what like Goten had in her dream... But when she realized that it wasn't Goten, she somewhat calmed down before turning around to come face to face with her brother Trunks.

"What are you doing up?" Bulla demanded, and then realized that she should take her tone down a little before waking her parents up.

"Bulla? Bulla?"

Bulla groaned in distaste and disappointment. Oh joy, her parents have just woken up and they obviously want to know what the damn problem was. Well, it sucked to be them because she would not tell them.

She didn't want them to worry, especially Bulma. Bulla wanted to be by herself, goddamn it!

"Mom, you should be back in bed," Bulla whispered as quietly and politely as she could. Vegeta however did not look convinced. In fact, he looked much more angry and more suspicious than ever. Just the dark look on his face made Bulla shudder in fear...

"I heard you screaming, Bulla, is everything all right?" Bulma placed her hands gently on her daughter's shoulders, looking deep into her eyes as if she was looking for a suitable answer.

Just the calmness and the worry in her voice made Bulla more guilty. If she told her parents the truth... well, it wouldn't end so good. But right now, she was conflicted into telling them everything, just to end the worrying from Bulma. However, Bulla had no idea what Vegeta really felt – since he was the hardest of the family to read. Actually, that was a lie. Just this one time she couldn't detect anything.

"I'm sorry, it's just a bad dream." Bulla knew that this was all she could reveal at the moment and she knew that she had no patience to pretend otherwise.

"Are you sure?" Bulma bit her lip, wanting to believe her but she couldn't say for sure.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been screaming pretty loud, honey, and I don't think it was just a bad dream."

"I promise you, Mom, it was only a dream," Bulla interrupted, promising her mom that it was just a dream. The thing about having Bulma Briefs as a mother was that she could not be convinced easily, like Vegeta could. Bulma actually cared about her children's welfare, and if they actually told her lies, she could see through them: she told both Trunks and Bulla that she lied quite a bit when she was younger, and she could honestly say that she could detect them quite perfectly. Which made Bulla at the time promising herself that she would never tell a lie. Even small ones.

But this time it was quite different – Bulla wanted to protect her family from all the dark secrets that she seemed to have. She never once told the truth to them about who she really was at times, and lying to them now made her feel more guilty than ever before.

If only Bulla could switch off her emotions – then she would get somewhere. Sometimes, she wished that emotions were stupid and that she shouldn't have any at all.

"Okay," Bulma sighed reluctantly. She still didn't have the feeling that Bulla was telling the truth. Of course, she knew that her daughter had a lot of secrets to keep from her family, and maybe this had to be one of them. But should she still believe her though? When she heard her little girl scream, it was like it was the end of the world for her...

Maybe she should just let Bulla work things out on her own. Maybe it would be good for her to take responsibility for her actions. But that didn't mean that Bulma couldn't help her. Right?

If there were rumours going around that Goten, the son of Goku himself, was afraid of something, there was no doubt that people wouldn't believe them.

Truth be told, the only time that Goten was truly afraid of things was when he was a child, but now didn't seem to be the case.

He did admit to himself that the nightmare that he just had a few hours ago (he had been up since then) made him more paranoid and more terrified than ever. But he didn't know what to do about it. Goten wasn't sure if he should tell Gohan that he had a nightmare about he and Bulla – he might understand, but Goten wasn't about to risk it. Goten could tell his dad, but there was a highly likely chance that Chi Chi would know about it and she would get the answer out of him. But the one person who he could NOT tell was Trunks. After all, he did tell him to stay the hell away from his sister. So if Goten did tell him, he would be dead and left for the buzzards in the desert for sure.

So, after only ten minutes of thoughtful thinking, Goten thought it was best to just keep this to himself. He was the only one who should have the weight on his shoulders – but he didn't want his family or his friends to worry. But what about Valese?

If she knew that he was FOR SURE thinking of Bulla Briefs, she'd kill her. Well, not literally, but she'd be more than willing to kick her ass – which she could not do. He thought that everything was well after his birthday party had occurred. But, he could not help but wonder why Bulla showed up – of all people. Was it because she liked him? No, she was just a friend, that's why she showed up. And when Valese had shown up a few moments after they started talking, Goten couldn't help but notice that Bulla looked hurt and rejected. Maybe even... jealous? Surely it couldn't matter now, but Goten couldn't stop thinking about it.

Since he knew that he wasn't going to get any more sleep at this time, which was three o'clock in the morning, he decided he should get some milk. His mother told him that milk helped you sleep at night, so what would be the harm done? Well, his dad would wake up since Saiyans had super hearing and he would want to know what the problem was.

As he crept quietly as he could without waking his mother, he solemnly but slowly walked to the kitchen which was fortunately on the same floor as his guest room for the night. Yes, he had his own home, but Chi Chi insisted that she stayed in his old room for his birthday and he could leave the next day. What kind of momma's boy said no to momma? Certainly not Goten.

"Goten? What are you doing up son? Planning to train too?"

"D-Dad?" Goten wanted to slap himself. Of course he had to remember that ever since he was a kid, his dad trained early every single morning just for the sole purpose of training. Goten was so stupid to ever forget such a thing.

"What's wrong? You look kind of spooked, Goten," Goku pointed out as he walked with his son and into the kitchen.

"It's nothing Dad, just a bad dream." Not that he could tell Goku more than that, but that was the bottom of it. Goten hoped that his dad would believe him. Fortunately, it seemed to be the case.

"Maybe you should have something to eat, it's what I always do if I have bad dreams," Goku suggested as he grabbed his boots from the front door before exiting.

"Are you sure that you don't want to train, Goten?"

Goten had to take this into consideration. He did want to get things off of his mind (mainly Bulla) but he wasn't sure if fighting was the best thing to do it. He could go out on a date with Valese, but it was way too early to consider such a thing, so that option was crossed out. But Goten wasn't into fighting as much as he was before, so what was there a man to do? He had to apply this certain rule he applied to his mom: what kind of daddy's boy were you to say no to daddy? Just thinking about that made Goten smile. He knew what he had to do.

"You know what? Sure Dad, I'd love to," Goten smiled genuinely, but only half of it was put on for show. He didn't want his family to worry about him; after all, they've worried about Gohan and Goku too many times during the Buu saga so they shouldn't get any other burdens placed upon them. Not that Goten thought he was a burden, but still, his problems were insignificantly small next to what happened ten to fifteen years ago.

Just thinking about his problems, somewhat made him feel better in the inside. Fighting would do wonders...

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

Trunks Briefs had no regard for anyone else sleeping in Capsule Corp only because their rooms were so far apart from each other. So, he could do all the racket he wanted without getting chastised for it. But this was no time. He had something else he had to do.

Trunks wanted to know what was up with his sister. He knew that she convinced Mom that she was fine, but he figured that Vegeta didn't believe her and neither did he.

Not that Trunks was super super close to Bulla, but he did notice every day stuff that was not like her at all. Not talking during supper time with a dazed look on her face like she was thinking of someone, having nightmares in the middle of the night, screaming like she was being tortured to death, etc. Trunks did care about her, but he was careful enough to not go into her own business. Kami knew what she would do to him in his sleep if she found out what he knew about her.

He wanted to know what was up. Ever since Goten's birthday party, Bulla had been more pissed off than usual. She would blow up over little things for no reason at all and she would not apologize until a week later. She was so stubborn to admit that what her behavior had been was wrong, so Trunks had to say sorry on her behalf.

There was much more that he wanted to do, but if he wanted to snoop in her business, she would know in absolutely no time at all. She was too clever and he wouldn't be surprised if she could read his mind right now.

Well, Trunks decided that this was enough for the night. He didn't want to spend more than ten minutes thinking about his sister's problems that she had (he definitely thought that throwing ANGRY tamper tantrums were bi-polar and she needed to be treated, but no one listened to him) and so, he shut his eyes; pretending that there was no worries at all.

Except for one. Pan.


	8. Average Guaranteed Death Wish

**Chapter 8**

Since Trunks Briefs, the current chairman of Capsule Corp, could admit that he had treasured his sister like she was a rare emerald that had yet to shine in the world, he still could not forget her current behavior was the previous night.

He was a clever and intelligent man – he could see through ruses, and he knew that Bulla was lying for sure.

For example, at Goten's party, he was merely joking around about her getting together with Goten – but he took her answer (more or less) quite seriously than he would have. Since she had replied to him in the most suspicious way, Trunks had grown more paranoid and somewhat protective of Bulla ever since.

Besides, it was his job apparently that he needed to find what was wrong with Bulla. His father decreed it only moments after Bulma and Bulla went off to bed, and if he didn't find out, Trunks wouldn't dare try to figure out what his father would do to him. But why would Vegeta care? Well, Bulma did say that he was growing soft over the years when it came to his little girl, as she put it. She said that he cared for her and obviously wanted to protect her from anything. Protective was an understatement – Trunks knew and witnessed Vegeta's actions to snoop into Bulla's private life, which she had rarely shared with anyone except Pan. Since Vegeta was too stubborn to know what was good for him, Trunks had set up a last minute shopping trip with Bulla. Heh. Served him right.

Therefore, Trunks had all the house to himself since Vegeta and Bulla were gone, Bulma was off visiting with Chi Chi and there was no one else to correspond with. Except for his best friend Goten. He had more than enough reason to kick the guy's ass since he knew him for more than ten years. He knew that he was attracted to Bulla, but Trunks didn't know how to get rid of it.

If the two of them ever got together, he would not like the idea of seeing Goten and Bulla sitting "romantically" in a position by the TV, making out every few seconds. Ugggh. The picture of them making out was making Trunks having the urge to puke his guts out.

"Hey, Trunks!" Goten greeted, snapping his closest friend from childhood out of his thoughts.

"What's up?" Trunks fist pounded him in return before giving him a hug (A man hug, as Goten put it)

"Nothing much, just got out of my date with Valese."

_Could have fooled me,_ Trunks thought but he didn't reply. Instead, he merely nodded, taking in the information that Goten had just given him.

"So what are we doing today? Video games? Eating contest? Movies? Wrestling?" Goten asked.

"All of the above," Trunks smirked.

In order for his plan to work, he had to lead Goten on – getting rid of any suspicion of which he would have if Trunks acted too strangely. Fortunately, Trunks was much more aware of secret schemes and suspicious activity than Goten was, and that Goten was somewhat dumber than Trunks himself, so that put Trunks at the advantage. Of course, the true reason into inviting Goten over, was that he needed to know if he liked Bulla. More than a friend. Since he couldn't ask it right on the bat, Trunks decided that he should give it some time before he started talking about relationships or anything like that.

This was the great thing about being single, like Trunks Briefs: he could just date a woman or two for a certain amount of time before he dumped them in the end... But the bad thing was, that he would end up being alone again. Which he hated more than anything, but dating a woman long-term meant that he would have to get married eventually if neither of them broke things off. Marriage was not what Trunks had in mind for his age.

He had to give it to Goten to think of another lady when he should only be thinking about his current girlfriend. Trunks was amused at the thought of Valese finding out the whole truth, but at the same time, he hoped that she didn't. Trunks was a good guy – he didn't want people to get hurt. Except in this case, Goten.

He briefly wondered what he could do to the poor man once he found out that he DID have a crush on Bulla. Maybe decapitate him in his sleep without knowing? Or maybe he should just go for an old-fashioned strangulation. These options sounded very enticing, but killing his only Saiyan friend meant that he would have no one to hang out with. Plus, he would have to deal with a pissed off Chi Chi and a sad Goku – not visions he would want to imagine for the rest of his life.

Either way, GOTEN could NOT be with his younger sister. Apart from their age difference, they had basically NOTHING In common, they hated different things and they usually don't hang out. So why would the two of them start acting weird around each other? Usually, Trunks would have a theory to back up his accusations. Or hard evidence that was NOT circumstantial, but what was there to prove? People would believe him way to easily – and if he joked about this to Vegeta, well, he wouldn't think that he was joking. He took things way too seriously... Yikes.

"Trunks? Are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course."

Goten looked like he was unsure of Trunks' answer, but he brushed it off (fortunately).

"So, what did you want to do first?"

"Doesn't matter to me," Trunks shrugged his muscular shoulders as they entered the living room.

_Get ready, Goten, you're going to be hurled in a world of pain..._

"What did you need to talk to me about?" Goten asked as he put in handfuls of M & M's, Smarties, pretzels and even blueberry muffins that Trunks managed to find throughout the house.

Trunks, in truth, was exhausted for once in his life and couldn't wait to finally ask the million-dollar question he was waiting for all day. For three straight hours in the early morning, they managed to kick each other's Saiyan asses in Call of Duty, two hours they devoted into watching a hilarious but unrealistic ideology of what wrestling was like to humans and one and a half hours later, they finally decided to call it quits but not before chowing down some junk food first before training outdoors. The reason why Trunks was so tired was because he had no nutritious breakfest to store any energy he would need later on. Besides, he wasn't really there to speculate Goten's mysterious energy – he was there to speculate his opinion on Bulla.

"I thought I told you to stay away from her," Trunks stated, hoping that his friend would come on unto what he was trying to imply.

"What are you talking about?" Goten scrunched his face in a confuse motion.

"You know who I'm talking about. My sister?" Trunks raised his voice up a notch, praying that Goten would remember who she even looked like. Idiot.

Sometimes, he even wondered why Goten was his friend at all – he forgot a lot of things, he wasn't too bright when it came to following rules and all he ever cared about was getting together with young women. Womanizer.

"You've got to believe me, we're only friends," Goten waved his hands up in defense as he swallowed his last bit of chewed-up Smarties and pretzels.

Trunks did not say that he would incline to believe him, but the look on his face said it all: he thought Goten was a liar and was trying to hook up with Bulla.

"You've got to believe me, Trunks! Come on! We're friends! I wouldn't date her," Goten tried to desperately convince his purple-haired amigo. But he knew that his arguments weren't exactly convincing nor were they proven to be a fact. What had the world come to?

"Bulla, I've known you since God knows when, and you think you can keep a secret from me? Please, you know you can trust me."

Bulla rolled her eyes off at this remark. Yes, she trusted her dearest bestest friend with her life, but did that mean she would want to hear about what Bulla had to say? She still couldn't picture the reaction Pan would have if she told her that she was attracted to her UNCLE of all people.

It had only been ten minutes since Bulla arrived at Pan's luxerious vacation hot spot in the woods she lived in with her parents, and Pan knew immediately that something was up. But it was going to take more than friendship references to get the answer out of her.

"I have no comment to say at this time," Bulla scoffed sarcastically while taking a good look on her recently manicured hands. She had to say she was impressed – this was the exact manicure she wanted to have and she paid good money for it. Well, if you are rich as Bulla Briefs, of course they would beg you to come again. Therefore, the young heiress had begun to be a regular client.

"You can't fool me forever, Bulls," Pan shrugged her too masculine shoulders before lying back down on the beach – trying to get herself a tan.

"I'm not fooling anyone, Pan," Bulla laughed nervously before applying more sun lotion to her pale complexion. Ugh. Maybe she should have just bought self-tanner lotion. Why waste time lying around in the sun? Unless she was going to get a highly effeminate glow, Bulla was not pleased. So much for bugging Trunks and Goten.

"Need I remind you, that you can trust me?"

"What if I can't tell you?"

"What if I keep pestering you about it? Would you still ignore me then?"

Bulla rolled her misty blue eyes in response to Pan's unbelievable answer to her question. Or more like a question to her question of which she had not answered.

"Yeah, I would," Bulla snapped.

"Geez, you don't have to act so morbid."

Bulla wasn't acting morbid, she was just annoyed. As to why the world was out to get her, as to why everyone in her life kept pestering her because they thought she had a problem and as to why they couldn't leave her alone. It was like Bulla was the main focus in their life, not that she hated the attention exactly, but she only wanted a peace of mind half the time.

"Trust me – you really don't wanna know."

"I do! Now come on, and tell me," Pan urged, moving in closer to Bulla's face to hear the hidden secret that her friend was not sharing with her at the moment. God knew how long she kept this juicy secret...

"Okay! I have a crush on your uncle!" Bulla blabbered. There was no way in hell she was going to repeat herself, so she waited a few moments to see what Pan's reaction would be.

Pan smirked. She knew that Bulla and her uncle had a thing for each other. The problem was, other than the fact that Goten had a girlfriend, she just needed to hear a long-waited confession. It didn't matter who said it first, but it pleased Pan to know that Bulla was the one who triumphed in the end.

Sure she was shocked, but it disappeared the moment she pictured the two of them together. Come to think of it, Pan much preferred Bulla to be his aunty one day instead of Valese who wreaked of sex appeal. She knew that Bulla was prettier and wealthier, but who was Pan to judge in Goten's taste of girls? Though it was a little weird picturing Bulla as her... AUNT. But, at least it wouldn't be that awkward. Well, it probably would be awkward, but still.

Now that her best friend – and soon to be aunt – confessed, Pan knew that she had to put her plan in motion. She wanted the two of them to be together more than anything. More than in her plan to be with Trunks... Shit. Did she just say Trunks?

Pan nearly laughed at this thought. She wondered how her soon to be Aunty would think of her having feelings for her brother?...


	9. Suspicious Bonding Activities

**Chapter 9**

If there were any compliments or anything resembling a compliment that could make Pan feel accomplished and proud of herself, there was only a couple that could do the trick. One, her sneakiness. If she were to do an undercover job, there wouldn't be anyone on the planet that could figure out what she was up to nor what her job was. No one would be able to find out what her secrets were, but Pan could do the exact opposite. Two, was her ability to remain determined even in the darkest of times. Though this couldn't exactly count as a dark time at all, it was more like a hopeful time. Pan knew that she wouldn't be able to get caught – she was way too smart for that. Even if anyone asked any questions, she would either lie or say nothing at all and thus, no one would be able to know if she was telling the truth. Apparently, she had gotten this from neither parent. At least, according to what her dad and mom told her.

Her newest undercover job, however, was not going to be easy for the most part. Even though Goten was her uncle, he could get suspicious but Pan knew that he wasn't as devious as she was when it came to scheming. Yet, Pan was confident that she could get the job done; trying to get her uncle and Bulla together. She could still picture the two of them running towards each other in a grassy field, sunny, warm and no negative thoughts plaguing the two of them. She could still picture Goten holding Bulla tight at night, she could picture the two of them feeding the ducks at a nearby lake. Pan could picture them happy forever...

So when she called her uncle to see if the two of them could spend the whole day together, it made her content to know that Goten had agreed. The great thing was, he would never know the true reason of the get together. He would never know the true intentions his niece had in mind...

"Uncle Goten!" If Pan was going to play her cards right, she would have to use her acting skills (which she happened to have) to get the information she desired.

"Hey, Pan!" Goten returned his exuberant, exciting smile toward his young and very happy niece.

At first, when she called him to make plans to hang out – they hardly ever do – Goten felt suspicions creep in his stomach, but what could go wrong? Why would he ever have to feel wrong around his niece? Okay – even that sounded so wrong, but still. He wouldn't have to worry about hanging out with Pan; she's a nice girl and obviously spending time with her family was important.

Second, he also had agreed to go to take things off his mind, so this would be the perfect activity to do. Not with his parents, not with Valese (whom he even questioned if they're going to be together for much longer) and certainly not with Trunks.

"So, what did you have planned today?"

"I thought we would be heading over to the beach," Pan said, but it was more of a demanding tone. She was always the one who wanted to take charge in everything; leadership was one of her stronger points. At least, that was what Pan thought.

But to everyone else, who didn't dare comment, they always thought that her bossy streak would flare out when she got older. Boy, were they ever wrong.

"Sure, we can do that," Goten nodded. He didn't really care where the two of them went or what the two of them did. Anything to get his mind off of his niece's best friend...

Not going to lie, after 3 brutal games of Marco Polo in the water, two intense matches of beach volleyball, and even lying out in the sun trying to gain a decent tan had exhausted Goten. He didn't know if it was in a good way, or a bad way, but the only good thing that came out if it was that he didn't speak of her (or think of her) once. It felt like it should be an accomplishment to Goten, but the suspicious feeling in his stomach once more took a hold on him.

Like, there was more to what Pan was up to than what she had been saying. For the most part, it wasn't like she had bad intentions, right? She just wanted to spend time with him as it were. Then why did Goten feel like that was so hard to believe?

Currently he was trying to lie down on the beach; resting from all the activities that Pan thought of to keep the two of them busy for a while. It sure kept Goten's mind busy that was for sure.

In a matter of speaking, it was fun for him as well as mentally simulating. Yet he couldn't get himself too much into it, for some reason. Maybe he just needed to have alone time? He scoffed at that. Every single night he had his apartment to himself, so why even suggest a lonely guy's night out?

"Uncle Goten! Come out and play with me!" Pan screamed on the top of her lungs as she went spelunking from the waves of the ocean.

Goten smiled at his only niece, but he didn't reply. He knew that he spent enough time trying NOT to think of her, but he couldn't help it. Bulla was like his favourite song – it would always be replayed and he would never get tired of it. Did this mean he was tired of dating Valese, whom he maintained a relationship with since a year and a half ago? Not that he was, but he couldn't help but realize that his relationship was failing for a couple months now. Even before thoughts of his best friend's sister had even appeared.

If he broke up with Valese, if they couldn't work whatever the true problem was, he knew that she would not take it well at all. She'd accuse him of thinking of someone else and how unfaithful he was, blah blah blah. Truth was, he was only thinking of Bulla; not getting laid, not kissing another woman, stuff like that. He only had eyes for Valese, though no one else in his family thought she was the perfect match for him. His mom always told him that she married her first boyfriend – who she did love with all her heart. But it wasn't like Goten was searching for anything permanent like being married. He only wanted to live life to the fullest, and what better to just go around and have fun with his friends, family and Valese? Well, if the relationship could still be lasting.

"What's wrong, Uncle Goten?"

"What makes you think there's something wrong?"

"I don't know, you just look like you're thinking about a certain someone," Pan nudged her uncle in the shoulder as she sat down next to him.

He knew it. There was definitely a purpose as to why Pan wanted to hang out... He knew that she was on to something, but what?

"I was thinking about Valese," Goten lied as truthfully as he could to make his niece believe him, but God knew that she was smart enough to see right through his lies. She was certainly more clever and intelligent than he was when he was her age.

Just as he figured, she scrunched up her face in disbelief – obviously thinking that he was lying to her.. Looked like she was going to try another approach.

"Why would you think about someone like her? Surely you must have someone else on your mind," Pan tried again, trying to not sound obvious of her intentions. Trying not to say anything that would lead her favourite uncle on her tail. Unfortunately, she had no clue that he was already aware of what she was trying to pull off, but he had no clue what that would be.

"What are you implying?" Goten stated; pretending that he had no clue at all as to what was going on. He may as well play this game, he didn't want her to know that he knew what she was up to... He may as well put his so-called acting skills to pretty good use.

"Oops, did I say that?" Pan swooped a hand to her mouth, preventing her from saying anything more. Of course, this was all for pretend, really – he really had to get himself a clue.

"Do you still like her?" Pan asked in a bored tone but little did Goten know that she was far interested in this conversation. She needed to find answers, but she needed to be patient. After all, maybe he could be on her tail, but that would not be possible since she was hardly the one to make things easy for everyone else to figure out.

"Valese?"

"Who did you think I was talking about?"

Goten had to pretend to think long and hard; he was contemplating on asking her what was the true purpose for their fun day, but she was too stubborn – she wouldn't tell him what he sought after. She would just leave him wanting... Just like a certain blue-haired beauty...

No. He didn't have feelings for Bulla, just a LITTLE attraction to her. Nothing harmful in that, except getting chewed up by Vegeta and Trunks. Nothing wrong with having slight feelings for a friend of yours, right? Then why did it feel so wrong to Goten? Duh – it was because he had a girlfriend, who he thought was more important. But did he love her? Valese? No, he didn't. But what would it be like to be with Bulla? Could he love her? Could she love him? Even if they did, their families would never allow it. Well, his might but hers would not. It wouldn't work out, so there was no point in pursuing her.

"I thought so," Pan smirked and she knew that she was right in the inside. She knew that he was just thinking of Bulla right now. She could honestly say if she got a little confession about who he loves, then she would be on the next step to getting the two half-Saiyans together. Pan instantly knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but how could that stop her? She loved the challenge. If she made a few mistakes, big deal – she could go back and fix them. She could make things right again, it would just make her feel more determined to finish off what she had started.

"Do you love her?" Pan pushed, breaking herself and Goten out of their daydreams.

"Yes, I do," Goten lied, while trying to make himself believable.

Unfortunately, Pan was not buying it. Again. She knew that he was lying and that meant that his and Valese's relationship must be on the rocks. Okay, she may not be a HUGE expert on guys, but years of friendship with Bulla (who certainly knew a thing or two about them) paid off. From his facial expression, Pan had to guess that he was not sure of who he loved. At least Valese couldn't be a running contender. She hated that girl. She thought that she could win her uncle over by promises of being faithful and that she would be with him forever. Bullshit. Pan knew that those were lies – she was an excellent mind-reader. She knew that Valese wasn't ever good enough for Goten. But Bulla was... Besides, what would be the harm? Okay, maybe Trunks and Vegeta would seriously not be pleased by that development, but shouldn't they care about her happiness?

Her parents always told her that you should always marry for love, not for money, not for looks. That was a little more than ironic – her grandma wanted her dad to marry her just for her money. Pan giggled as she thought about it. She wished she could have seen the look on their faces.

But that wasn't the point. The point was, she had to get Bulla and Goten together. Pan didn't care if things would get awkward if Bulla would be her new aunty. Actually, it would be more than awkward. Would it feel... wrong or right? That didn't matter right now. All Pan thought was the right thing to do right now was make Goten confess.

She just thought about this idea – it was much better than blackmailing her uncle to reveal his true thoughts about her best friend.

There was a Capsule Corp dinner party/ball that was being planned to be arranged in one week – Pan only knew this because her mom and Bulma had been talking. Turned out that the Briefs family was well-respected in most house-holds, so why not hold a ball in everyone's honour for supporting them? Well, it was more like a fundraiser for some charity, so the theme was apparently a masquerade ball. Pan didn't think it made any sense, but she couldn't let this opportunity pass her by. She knew that her family was invited, so Pan thanked the Gods. This was the perfect time to set things up for the two of them...

_Perfect,_ Pan thought before asking Goten if he was planning to go to the ball. May as well make sure that he would come. Other wise, there was no point.

**~~ Forgive me if this chapter wasn't living up to your greatest expectations. I know I could do better than this, but I had to have a scene like this. Otherwise, what would the purpose be for Pan to know about Bulla having feelings for Goten? ;) **

**Anyway, I was going to update yesterday, but I was too inspired to write my other Fan Fic for Thor, so I apologize. Keep reading! ~~**


	10. Narcissistic Brats And Big Jerks

**Chapter 10**

Who knew that admitting, you held an attraction for someone, to your best friend would be so much easier to deal with after wards? Who knew that it would not be back to bite you in the ass if you just told someone how you felt? Certainly not Bulla – since she was one of the most stubborn people in her family. Although, once she told Pan, a huge difference was shown in her current social life with her friends and family.

Take this dinner with the family at 7:00 for instance – everyone noticed a huge change in Bulla's behavior, and pretty much everyone got suspicious. For one, it looked like she went back to her old self – talking at dinners, blackmailing Vegeta into going shopping with her yet again and even talked to Bulma about the ball that they were throwing in one week's time. And there wasn't even a single time when Bulla looked like she was leaving Earth; she put all her focus into mingling with her family, including bugging Trunks to find a girlfriend to bring to the ball which he was not happy about. It was both confusing and amazing to find out how much you can change – obviously all her problems were solved.

"Dad?" Bulla cheerily poked her usually grumpy father in the shoulder to get his attention. What she was about to discuss was REALLY important to her, and if nobody ever thought it was important; she'd usually think "screw them." Or something else to that effect.

Since she was the blabbermouth of the family (at this time of day), she didn't care if she got so much of a response (a grunt was typical from Vegeta, letting everyone know that he was paying attention). Only a look from his eyes gave you the go to start talking.

"Would you mind taking me shopping again?"

Vegeta dropped his utensils on his plate and nearly barfed out the food he was currently trying to swallow. "No."

"Why not?" Bulla whined and as per usual, if she didn't get her way (only sometimes she did this if this was important to her, and this was one of those times) she would pout. And beg, and that would turn into screams of hatred directed towards the person who dared to say no to her.

"I have training to do." That was all he said before coming back to eat his precious food. Go figure. Great.

"Hey, Trunks, mind taking me shopping?" Bulla asked sweetly, causing Trunks to be hesitant. Just the damn innocent look on his sister's face was enough to cave in immediately, but he wanted to know how long it would take him to cave in... Five... Four... Three... Two... One.

"Fine," Trunks rolled his blue eyes before also going back to eat his forgotten food.

"Yay!" Bulla was pleased with this development. Even though going shopping with Vegeta had been a tradition, since she had developed the obsession of clothes, she was glad that she could spend time with her brother. And by spending time with her brother, she meant that she would bug him into asking Pan out – she wasn't dumb at all: she realized how much the two of them enjoy each other's company. She knew how they looked at each other; like what a girlfriend and boyfriend should be.

"Hey, Bulla, you got some mail," Bulma began, interrupting her daughter's triumph of blackmailing her son into going shopping with her.

"This is weird," Bulma scrunched her face up in an act of being confused. There was no return address – it only named Bulla's name and address upon the envelope. Who could have sent this?

"What?" Bulla wondered out loud as she took the letter from her mother, wondering what made her so confused.

"Maybe it's from your boyfriend," Trunks joked, earning glares from both Bulla and Vegeta... Even though Bulla more looked like she was Bulma's clone, it was like Trunks was staring into the souls of both his father and Bulla... Talk about scary.

"Stop saying I have a boyfriend – you know I don't have one."

This wasn't the first time that Trunks had teased her about something like this; he made it like it was his personal business to know what the hell is going on in her life, and to be honest, Bulla would rather shield herself away from the world than reveal her most shocking secrets. She would rather keep everything a mystery; let other people figure herself out. The only one that could was Pan, but that's beside the point.

The point was now that the young Saiyan's curiosity was soaring high – wondering who could have sent her mail. Yes, she had a famous family, but that didn't mean that she would start getting fan mail; so Bulla was more suspicious than excited. In her opinion, getting creepy mail from an unknown person was probably the worst thing anybody could do if they were seeking her attention. Well just got it now.

Since the princess liked to respect her own privacy – and always felt insulted that no one else would – she turned away from her family as she torn open the letter like her life depended on it.

Bulla nearly blushed her ass off once she read the romantic words that a certain person – who she tried to forget – had written for her.

_Dear Bulla,_

_I couldn't, and still can't, every try to ever forget you... Your eyes are like a sea that yearns to be ventured, and your hair, in my opinion, is like breathing in waterfalls in a forbidden jungle. Your smile makes me want to smile, your bold personality influences me to be just like you. You are a really beautiful girl, Bulla and I have been blind to not notice that. Even after the party, I really started to think about you... You're one of the most prettiest girls I know._

_Which brings me to my next point – the Capsule Corp Masquerade Ball for charity. I have no plans to go if a certain girl would not consider to go with me, so this is what I am asking... Would you go to the ball with me? I know that you're probably wondering why I didn't bother to ask you myself, but I couldn't bear to interrupt you for what you __are doing at the moment. I have consideration for privacy too, as you may know from Pan, so I know what it feels like to be frustrated that no one cares. I care. If you wish to go with me, please give me an answer before next week – I don't need anyone else to break my heart..._

_From, Goten_

Bulla nearly gasped as she finished reading the most thoughtful letter she had ever read. What she read nearly broke her heart, but that all disappeared as the anger started to rise from her heart. Who the hell would turn Goten down? Who would reject someone like him? He was the most honest, sweetest man she had known in her life, even though he may have not a speck of common sense every once in a while. But still – hurting Goten meant that he was worthless and was never good enough.

But he was good enough for her. Wait. What the hell was she thinking? Why was she feeling like this? It wasn't like she was in love with Goten or anything. Was she? She had to stop reading romance novels; she had to stop listening to her boys-obsessed friends. She only wanted to live life like she was meant to – boys were only trouble. Except for her family and friends, but being in a relationship wasn't something that she would get used to.

She never believed in guardian angels, heaven, soul mates or any other of that spiritual stuff that her grandmother started to drill in her head when she was a young child. Bulla just didn't think that she would find someone who would share in her common goals, beliefs, values and even if she could – Bulla wasn't good at being faithful. She manipulated her family numerous times, but she wasn't going to start feeling bad with herself right now. Bulla never believed in any of these things; she was all about the now. Never about the past, and certainly not about the future – even if she did tend to have small anxiety attacks every now and then.

"Bulla, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Bulla replied, turning around with a huge smile on her face. Oh well, she had plenty of time to consider what Goten had proposed. At first, she didn't think it was him; she was feeling unsure that he would ever use that language around her. Well, it did make sense there was no return address – Goten's family lived in the country.

However, Trunks and Vegeta were not taking Bulla for every word she said. They were not idiots. Since Bulla was too damn stubborn to even say anything if they asked, Trunks would do nothing but pile up on his suspicious activities on Bulla – no matter what she said, he wanted to find out what was going on. Even if it was not his business.

"So Trunks, are you going to take Pan?" Bulla snickered, teasing her brother with his unadmittable affections for her friend.

"No," Trunks scoffed and then took a sip of his specially prepared water – he hated the kind from hot springs.

"Are you sure? Pan had been telling me that she was going to ask you," Bulla stated, pretending to remember the last time they had hung out. Okay, she lied about Pan wanting to ask Trunks but she knew the two of them had a thing for each other. Pan couldn't say it, but every time Bulla mentioned her brother's name, Pan blushed like crazy – like if he was right in the same room as her. That was pretty obvious to Bulla, but then again she shouldn't talk. Pan was saying the exact same accusations about her and Goten.

"You're such a bad liar," Trunks rolled his eyes; secretly, he was hoping that for once his family would contribute a lasting conversation that didn't have to do with dates. But he was wondering if Pan really wanted to go with Trunks. Nah – she obviously though of him as a brother. And he thought of her as a little sister. A really annoying little sister.

"I am not," Bulla daintily pointed her icy gaze to her brother.

"You lie about everything and you know it, you brat," Trunks spat back.

"I'm not a brat, you big jerk!" Bulla was not about to lose this fight for dominance. Since winning it over Vegeta was too easy, and she never fought with her mother (at least rarely) Trunks was the hardest person to manipulate. He was also stubborn to point out and/or admit anything he had done in the past; so Bulla knew that he was the only person to watch out for.

She always lost to Trunks and it made her feel like she was less gifted – in fighting, in races, basically anything that had to do with two people competing. In this family, there was no such thing as fun – hard-work and accomplishment was all that mattered. Okay, that was a lie, but Bulla only made that up to chase after her dreams. Dreams that her idiotic brother scoffed at. Why did he always have to pick a fight with her?

"You are so and you know it – how else did you get dad to go shopping with you?"

"At least he actually listens to me! At least he doesn't think I'm a Narcissist!"

Trunks felt his Saiyan blood boil now; Bulla – the most stubborn girl in the universe – would NOT give up. He had to give her that much, but she certainly couldn't listen to anybody else. And she wonders why he always wins and she always loses.

Bulma sighed heavily. She knew that the two siblings didn't mean to harm each other intentionally, but sometimes their pride would get the best of them. Certainly the Gods would help her sort this mess out, but then again the two of them would start fighting again. This was exactly what happened when you marry a stubborn Saiyan Prince with a blimp-sized ego.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

**~~ Chapter ten is now complete, and now there are only thirty more chapters before this story is over, so let's really get into it. Will Bulma crack under the pressure? Will Vegeta ever regret staying in the same house as his children? Will Trunks and Bulla ever settle out their differences? Lol, just joking – the real drama is coming up shortly... ~~**


	11. Dressing To Impress

**Chapter 11**

"It's okay, Mom – you don't have to do this for me," Goten protested as his stubborn mother continued to measure every inch of her son's body for the suit that she was preparing for him; Chi Chi, against Goten's wishes, went and spent most of her money (of which she had saved up) to buy her youngest child the perfect suit to wear for the upcoming Capsule Corp ball they have been invited to. Apparently, there was no use – Chi Chi insisted that there was nothing wrong in spoiling her son. Obviously not as much as Bulma did to her kids, but Chi Chi spoiled Goten nonetheless.

It had been two hours and counting since Chi Chi pulled her son from his usual activities – training, what else? – and started to really tug on his clothes to see if they fit him. There were moments when Goten thought that she was going to cry as she looked him over. He knew that he must have looked like his dad; what else could she have been crying about? Well, if he told her that he was going to marry Valese; come on let's face it, that probably won't happen. Not because he wanted to marry – which he didn't – but also because they keep heading into the same old cycle of troubles. To be honest, Goten was instantly tired of her games and he even wondered sometimes why he even dated her.

In most families, marriage was important – but it wasn't to their own selfish benefit. Goten had been told a great number of times that he should only marry for love and not for money or anything trivial like that.

It wasn't like Goten wanted to get married anytime soon, but it wasn't like he could find the right girl. There hadn't been anybody special enough to catch his interest – there hadn't been a connection with anybody. Except for this one girl, but she was unattainable and Goten didn't think that he loved her. Or did he?

Just thinking about the way she smiled at him and how she saved that pleased sparkle in her eyes made him want to acknowledge her more and more; but Goten knew then that his imagination was getting ridiculous. He was going to go insane if he kept about the girl that he would be forbidden to date.

"Are you taking Valese?" Chi Chi pursed her lips in disapproval as she said the banshee's name in obvious distaste and hatred as she could – letting Goten know that she would rather him take another girl.

Goten rolled his eyes as he thought about an answer he could tell his mom. Yes, he wasn't taking her but not for the obvious reason. She apparently said she was going away that weekend spending time with her family, but Goten could feel the relief filling up his senses. Besides, he somewhat didn't feel like taking her. It just didn't feel right to him anyway, so it should please his mother – who obviously hated her – that Valese couldn't make it.

"She couldn't make it."

Chi Chi didn't say anything in response, but Goten could tell that she was happy by this new development – after all, since he and Valese had been dating for the past year and a half, Chi Chi always wanted him to find someone else. Someone who was appreciative of his affections. Goten couldn't possibly know how she knew of he and Valese's relationship troubles, but he wanted to take that advice closely to heart.

Goten somewhat suspected of his mom's behavior to his girlfriend – he couldn't quite find the perfect reason why she hated Valese. Yes, her attitude problem was something that some people couldn't handle in life, but she was a sarcastic, beautiful and classy young woman – that's what made Goten want to pursue her. Goten thought it had to do with the rumours going around; that she was a serial heart breaker. He was glad that his mom cared about him and all, but she shouldn't have to worry about being heavily depressed getting his heart broken by a girl that could really care less about his feelings. Then there was the fact that Chi Chi didn't want her boys to grow up – she was used to being their caretaker. She was used to being a mother forever who loved taking care of her children. He couldn't help but feel as though it wasn't his mother's fault for worrying about things like that – it was what made her lovable. He didn't blame her for doing things like that. At least she cared. And he was lucky that he had someone like Chi Chi in his life.

"Don't you think that you should find someone else?" Chi Chi asked, trying not to sound pleased – even though she secretly was. Though she couldn't help but feel angry that his girlfriend couldn't put aside whatever business she had to do for her boyfriend. Breaking Goten's heart was the last thing that Chi Chi wanted to deal with – that would mean insufferable threats of finding the person responsible. She also knew that Goten wouldn't want her to do anything. He wanted to be the person to deal with it himself.

"I'll be alright Mom," Goten lied while figuring out a way to make the situation less awkward. He knew that he could talk to his mom about anything, but if he told her about the recent events that was happening, she would not leave matters well enough to Goten. She would take the lead role in the investigation. Hell, she would even ask Goku what was going on. But Goten wasn't entirely comfortable talking to Chi Chi about girls, but asking his dad about them was even more awkward. He knew that Goku had only one girlfriend, but Goten didn't think that he would say anything... that would help him in this situation.

Chi Chi was reluctant to believe him, but for once – a nagging voice in her head; usually the one that told her that she had to have the perfect family, said that he should let things figure themselves out. If desperate times called for desperate measures, then so be it. She would always be there for her family and nothing could take that precious moment in life from her.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

Even for one simple ball, the people who hosted the event would still feel overly stressed about it – would people feel comfortable leaving their own homes to dancing their troubles away at an infamous ballroom? Would they enjoy the food? What would they wear? And don't even get started on the million things that party planners would have to take care of before the one day dance even started... Honestly, you'd think that it would be fun – and sometimes it was – but the whole stress part never sounded too appealing.

But to Bulla Briefs, there as nothing more stressful than picking out the perfect outfit for the perfect evening. She knew that she had to wear a gown, but she had no clue as to what she wanted to wear. She even went as far to asking Marron some ideas, but it turned out that she was always busy to even call her back. Bulla knew that she couldn't ask Pan – she was a full-on tomboy. Not that Bulla was stereotyping, but she knew for a fact that most tomboys hated dressing up for classy events. And for this one teenager, she thought the parties/galas that she had attended a few times in her life was classy. Elegant. Sophisticated.

Since there was no one else to help her choose from her million-dollar worth wardrobe (trust me, you have NO idea how many clothes the girl had in her closet), Bulla had no choice but to go to her last resort. Her mother. Bulla didn't hate her per se, but she knew that Bulma was not the one to go to for clothing support. She had been told by Gohan that she once designed his Saiyaman costume, and let's just say that mostly everyone HATED it... Just the thought of that made Bulla shiver in fear. She would rather count on the other expensive designers she considered her heroes to do the job just as good.

For once, buying anything was out of the question – Bulla didn't think that buying anything new was practical since there were a million gowns that she hadn't worn in such a long time. And half of them she never even wore.

"What about this one? It's really gorgeous," Bulma took out one Jessica McClintock strapless, peach-coloured gown – which Bulla loved the moment that she bought it. But, it somehow didn't feel right. It was too simple, yet she didn't want to go over the top fancy. What would be the right solution to this predicament?

"Sorry, I don't think that one's the one," Bulla shook her head yet again as she sighed in frustration.

She and her mother had been going through her closet for the past hour and still, there was nothing that she wanted to try on, damn it! Just the stress of choosing the perfect dress made Bulla's head hurt. And so in an attempt to calm it down, Bulla groaned and rubbed her poor temples with her fingers, massaging them slowly as she could without making it worse.

"It's okay, we can keep trying."

That was the good thing about having Bulma as a mother – she was just as determined as Bulla was when it came to stuff like this. She offered condolences that no one else would say, she would help Bulla raise her self-esteem to an all time high if Bulla felt depressed or upset about something, etc. It just went to show that Bulla loved her mom more than she hated her.

Then there were more things for Bulla to think about. Like the note that she received from Goten, being one of them. Her first thought was that it was a stupid prank by one of her friends, but her heart wanted to believe every inch of that note that Goten wrote. At least, she believed it to be Goten. She was just wondering if he was really going to plan to show up at the ball, and if he was, then that would make things feel better for Bulla. She honestly thought that his opinion of her was more important than anything else, considering that they were friends for years and Trunks was afraid that they would get too close. However, if Goten didn't show up, she knew that she would feel terribly disappointed. She wanted to impress him with everything she ever worked for, but him not being there would make everything a lie and being pointless to even have done so in the first place.

"I hope you're thinking about who you're going to take to the ball," Bulma winked, snapping her teenage daughter out of her thoughts.

"I already told you that I don't have a date," Bulla scoffed, hoping to make it as believable as possible without anyone getting more suspicious than they already were.

"You sure about that?" Bulma smiled, like she knew something that her daughter didn't. She knew that look – she was in love with someone. Bulma could tell; but she didn't obviously know who it was. Wait. Maybe she was planning to meet him at the ball! Bulma should feel happy that this would be her first boyfriend, but she knew that she shouldn't make a big occasion out of it like her mother had when she first started dating Yamcha. Back then, she was desperate for a boyfriend, but her daughter was like Vegeta in that way – refusing to get close to anyone outside her social circle.

"I don't have a date, and I'm not saying it again."

"Then why else to find the perfect gown? Dressing to impress?"

Bulla knew there was no one, or nothing, that could help her to get her out of this mess. She didn't want anyone to know about her feelings for Goten – period. Just covering her tracks was the hard part.

"Just leave me alone, Mom!" Bulla shrieked, trying to get her point across as she crossed her arms in an offensive position. Why couldn't anybody take her privacy seriously these days?

"Don't you use that tone with me," Bulma warned, also standing up.

"All I'm asking is for you to give me some privacy, is that too much to ask for?"

Apparently, in Bulla's family, it was.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

**~~Yes, I know – short chapter, but what can I say? I'm on a roll here – I'm just inspired more and more every single day to update... Maybe I'll get this story done by the summer time! X3 **

**Anyway, I'm still receiving massive amounts of support for this story, and I really appreciate it! I know the romance between Bulla and Goten won't bloom YET, but things are starting to heat up once the gala finally arrives in the next chapter... ~~**


	12. Special Occasion To Remember

**Chapter 12**

The only type of nerves that Bulla would usually have to deal with was anxiety attacks. She was hardly ever nervous in any point of her life; she had dealt with being in plays, being photographed, etc but that still didn't make her nervous. Yet this was the night of the Capsule Corp Annual Fundraiser – and she felt like she was going to puke her guts out.

Truth be told, a tiny voice kept squeaking in her head saying that Goten would not be here. He would not be able to show up. For some reason, a part of Bulla agreed with it – she was too worried and stressed out about everything else, that she should not afford to waste thoughts about Goten.

She had to admit though that her family had done a marvelous job in hosting the most simple and elegant of balls. The lights were dimmed, and the guests arrived looking like they were heading back in time around the 1800's. But there wasn't anything in the Capsule Corp dancing hall that remotely showed off any artifacts at that time – since the company was always about the future. Anyway, the she could smell the preparations for the food, since the kitchen wasn't far off (but she did not have a clue of what was going to be offered to their guests – she wasn't in charge of that department).

Since everyone looked as if they belonged back in time, Bulla decided to keep in "theme" with the gala.

Her dress was an exquisite midnight blue gown; it was strapless, it fell upon her feet, but just enough for her to walk around in. It was also one of the only gowns that held class, grace, beauty and charm; she was hoping if Goten ever showed up, she could show off all of the above. But since it was apparent that he wasn't here yet, she just felt disappointed – both in herself and in Goten. She did take his note very seriously; she hardly ever got swooned by a boy who was not afraid of asking her out. Most boys would cringe in fear and discomfort because of how protective her father was at times. But Goten wasn't like most boys; he had class, he had charms and he was very handsome. So was he a different type of boy that attracted her? He must be since he was the first boy that she had some feelings for that went past than friends.

"Nervous?"

"Shut up," Bulla spat out with more than enough venom in her voice to scare whoever thought it would be a good idea to pester her right now. She really was not in the mood to even be talking to anybody, except Goten but since he wasn't here yet, well, she had no consideration to talk to other people. Sometimes she hated events like these because it meant that Bulma would go around parading her family, exploiting how beautiful her babies were; Bulla didn't mind the attention at first, but now she was tired of meeting more and more and more people who she wouldn't even remember or see in her life again.

"Geez, you don't have to bite my ass of for it," Trunks said.

"I'm not biting any asses today, brother," Bulla retorted before glancing back to the porch where Goten and his family would sure be entering in. This year, it took extra security measures to make sure that people used the front door instead of hacking into the back door. Just the past few years, there had been several arrests regarding personal space/stalking.

"Except for Goten's."

"You are too funny, Trunks," Bulla laughed sarcastically, showing her older brother that whatever theory to throw her off her game this time was ridiculous.

"I wasn't joking – I'm serious."

Bulla could feel her sarcasm fading away, and so was her fake smile. She knew that her skin was paling, since she could feel the urge to throw up continuing to grow until she actually did it.

"There's nothing going on between me and Goten," Bulla reasoned quietly. "We're just friends."

"That's what they all say before we catch them hooking up," Trunks argued as he fixed his purple tie that matched his Dolce & Gabbana suit. It surely made him look like a powerful, handsome deity – Bulla could just tell. But just because he was standing out in his new suit it didn't mean that he should have the right to brag about everything.

"Well still. You shouldn't make assumptions like that of other people. That would be a bad case of character."

"And what do you know of something like that? You base your interest in guys because of how good looking they are."

Bulla couldn't argue with that. He had a point – she always used to make assumptions about what a guy is really like based on their appearance. She knew that she shouldn't do that, since she had been told far too many times to count. But she couldn't help it – her resolve to focus on more important things rather than boys weakened every moment she laid eyes on one.

However, when she had lain her eyes on Goten, she thought that he was cute sure, like teddy bear cute. But that was before she found her newly found attraction to him. He was like a magnet – she could not pull away from him.

"Whatever. That's like saying you don't have feelings for Pan," Bulla murmured under her breath, but she knew that Saiyans had far more advanced adaptations than humans. She was just counting on him to hear what she just said. "But then again, maybe you don't."

"What are you implying?"

"I'm not saying anything, Trunks," Bulla waved her hands in front of her in a matter of defense. But the truth was, she was actually implying that Trunks had a lot more under the surface than what he actually was showing. Sometimes she even wondered if he wasn't interested in girls at all... He was more interested in hanging out with Goten, partying and taking over the shared stocks of Capsule Corp. It would actually make sense if this conspiracy theory, as Trunks called them before, was true. But who was Bulla to judge?

"You're such a liar," Trunks scoffed before heading off to the refreshments. It just made Bulla sick sometimes that all Saiyans couldn't bear to stay away from any type of food. She wondered if that was what her race entailed, or it was just a freak accident back in the day. Or was it just boys that considered food to be the lady of their lives?

But now there wasn't anybody else to talk to, there was only one thing left to do. Wait for Goten to show up.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

Goten had to give it to the Briefs' family again; not because he was sucking up (he never does) to them, since Trunks was his best friend, but because they always threw a party or a special occasion to remember. And tonight, he just had the feeling that this was definitely going to be a night to remember.

"Where's your father?" Chi Chi looked around frantically, but with also a look of shame and anger on her face. Goten knew that she was fed up with the way he came up late to these sorts of occasions. Take Bulma's party ten years ago when Buu was defeated; he showed up so late, that no one would really expect him to show up at all and plus, most of the food was stored up. Chi Chi was not that upset at him, but when he didn't show up at first, she was pissed as hell.

"Probably at the buffet tables," Goten shrugged his shoulders as he was glancing around the ballroom, seeing if he knew anybody that showed up. The thing about going to these sorts of functions was that there were too many people to count; and since this was a masquerade party, it just made it one hundred times more difficult to even spot anybody he knew.

"You know your father. He's always thinking about food," Chi Chi grumbled, straightening the hems of her sleeveless dress that she had recently bought.

Before Goten could say anything to raise his mother's hopes, the voice of Bulma Briefs, plus the company of her son, beat him to it.

"Hey guys! So glad you could make it," Bulma greeted enthusiastically while Trunks just rolled his eyes.

"Lookin' good, Trunks," Goten said, breaking the awkward silence between the two of them while their mothers started to chat.

"You don't look too bad yourself. Too bad your girlfriend isn't here to see you now," Trunks looked his best friend up and down, while joking to lighten the mood.

It was only at that moment that Goten noticed that his sister wasn't with him.

"Hey, where's your sister?" Goten asked curiously while he looked around the crowded room. To no avail, there was no sign of a young woman with cerulean, shoulder-length hair. It kind of disappointed him that he couldn't find her yet, but it instantly disappeared once he heard Trunks speak with a protective tone in his voice.

"Since when did you care?"

"We're just friends," Goten reasoned, trying to make his friend understand that he would never go after Trunks' sister. He also tried to tell that to himself, that he could never go for a friend's sibling, no matter how gorgeous they are.

"Right," Trunks looked like he was going to believe him, but then the look in his blue eyes said a different story altogether. Why was this family so hard to convince? Compared to their family, Goten could lie to his own parents and they would never try to figure it out. Except Pan – she was the only one clever enough to do stuff like that.

"I'll see you later," Trunks waved a temporary farewell to his friend who... was not looking back at him. In fact, Goten looked mesmorized. Like he was put under an intense love spell... Wait a minute.

Trunks tried to follow his gaze to see exactly who he was looking at. But he had a feeling who Goten was checking out; he said that Valese couldn't make it to the ball, so he had to go solo.  
Goten felt like he was being put on under a spell when he saw her. The angel dressed so magnificently in a midnight blue dress that hugged her figure; the angel that he wanted to talk too so badly. The angel that he had feelings for, but he had no idea how to play them off. Her hair was recently curled, but not in the literally curly sense. It was wavy, and it looked dashing on her, and he wished that he could go over and talk to her, and then again, he didn't know what to say. Bulla Briefs had literally made him speechless.

Before he could even make his way over to her, she saw his niece and Maron immediately claiming her attention.

Goten then snapped out of his daydreams. He didn't stand a chance with Bulla, and the both of them knew it. He was even surprised that she didn't have a boyfriend, not that he cared. He wasn't supposed to care. Wasn't he? Come on – this was Trunks' sister, for God's sake. How many times did he have to tell himself that he couldn't go after someone like her?

He didn't even realize that he was staring at her so intently... Until, he received the very same pair of blue eyes in response. And a beautiful smile going his way.

Unfortunately, another pair of blue eyes stared angrily at the two of them, wishing that Goten wouldn't try anything. But that didn't seem to be the case.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

**~~ This chapter is so crappy, not going to lie – I had to somewhat wing it. Why? I'm off to the movie theatre to go see Pirates of the Caribbean 4: At Stranger's Tide (I'm a HUGE fan of Jack Sparrow – and normally I don't talk in my sleep, but if he's in it, I'd giggle in my sleep...), so I just wanted to update early. I wouldn't blame you if you stopped reading, but then again, your reviews give me the support I need to continue walking down this road :) ~~**


	13. Perfect Cinderella Moment

**Chapter 13**

It was like Bulla's world had stopped when she caught his attractive smile – the smile that lit up a hidden firework within her, just waiting to be explode in delight. She wanted to smile back at him, but she just couldn't do it. She wanted to talk to him as to how handsome he was, but Bulla couldn't do it. She wanted to ask him to dance, but yet again she could not do it. Why? What was so harmful as to asking her friend to dance?

_Because you have feelings for a certain Saiyan,_ a voice deep within her mind cackled, reminding her of a grandmother old beyond her years or a witch who had placed her under a spell... Bulla had to admit that she did have feelings for him. But they weren't love, that's for sure. She did feel a little bit better admitting that, so Bulla felt a huge weight lift off of her shoulders and of her mind.

"Bulla? Bulla?"

"Oh? I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Bulla snapped back to reality as her friends, Pan and Maron, sneaked looks back and forth at each other, as if they were saying "What is with this girl?"

"And you say you're not interested in boys," Maron teased as she saw her best friend frown. Every once in a while, the girl had to take a joke and didn't she know that frowning causes wrinkles? Apparently she wanted to grow up old and ugly. Nothing wrong with that.

"What are you talkin' 'bout?" Bulla lied, as she pretended to be interested in whatever her friends had to say instead of checking out a certain pieces of Saiyan ass...

"See? You're staring at him," Pan pointed out. How stupid did Bulla think she and Maron were? She should have known by now that she couldn't fool Pan. She would know when someone was lying, and she was doing just that. Was she looking at her uncle? Was she checking him out? Was she flirting with him at a distance?

"I don't know who you're talking about." There was no way that Bulla would admit that she had feelings for Goten in front of Maron – she knew what she could do, and Bulla didn't even want to think about it.

"So, where's your boyfriend?" Bulla smirked as she amusingly looked from Pan to Maron in a manner of seconds.

The reason she was changing the subject – to a far more suitable one – was because she knew how to use people's feelings for another one's feelings. Bulla knew that both Pan and Maron liked Trunks. And by liked, she meant _**liked**_ Trunks; but it wasn't like either of them knew that they were going to play for his affections – the two of them mentioned the whole I'm-in-love-with-him bullshit when the three of them were hanging out separately. Personally, Bulla thought that Pan and Maron were in a bit of a rough patch, so they didn't trust each other with their secret. But what made admitting to be in love with your brother a secret?

"I was hoping to see him here tonight, but, I don't think he's going to show," Maron admitted, shrugging her shoulders in disappointment.

"I'm sorry," Bulla touched her friend in a sympathetic way; telling her that she would be alright. She couldn't help but feel sorry for both Pan and Maron – still considering their friendship even if they both feel the same feelings for the same guy. She wondered how long it would take for them to figure it out – that Bulla knew all along. But that wasn't the point – the point was, Trunks didn't deserve to date either of her best friends. She knew that he was a heartbreaker, he wouldn't treat either of them right. Unless, he actually put away his pride and actually developed feelings for them... What was Bulla saying? She sounded like she had experience, but in truth Bulla didn't.

"You look beautiful," Bulla complimented both of her friends' beauty.

Maron, also a fashionita like her, also developed a taste for designer clothings. Whether if it was Alexander McQueen, Jimmy Choo, it didn't matter – as long as Maron thought the clothing produced was super cute. There were even occasions that Bulla and Maron traded clothes until the point where their parents noticed that they've been wearing each other's t-shirts or short shorts.

Bulla was telling the truth that Maron was gorgeous – she was wearing a lavender purple sleeveless, frilly dress that hugged her curves perfectly. Bulla didn't know who designed it, but it was simple enough to motivate Bulla's overly pampered style of clothing to also being simple yet elegant.

Pan also looked pretty – even though her dress was once Bulla's. It was a ruby red, and it wasn't as gorgeous as Maron's but it actually looked good on Pan. Her complexion matched quite nicely, as the dress went up to her knees. Considering that Pan was a tomboy that more or less liked to train, Bulla was impressed by her effort to dress up like she belonged.

"Excuse me? May I have this dance," A mysterious but very sexy, thrilling voice interrupted – politely squeezing through Pan and Maron to get to Bulla.

She smirked. She knew who this was, though he was pretty stupid to get her attention now. Yet she couldn't help but feel entranced as he took her hand and kissed it. She felt flattered, embarrassed and well, flattered all at the same time. Not to mention the fluttery butterflies in her stomach when he was awaiting for an answer.

"Yes, you may," Bulla smiled, but not exactly in a flirtatious or a seductive manner. It was a smile of which she was glad to see him show up.

She even let him gently take a hold of her hand, leading her up to the dance floor and leaving Pan and Maron blinking feeling confused. What had just happened?

Bulla couldn't help but feel pleasant while around Goten – who was hiding his true face beneath his mask... He was hiding his beautiful, haunting and dark eyes underneath his mask, showing who he really was. She felt like she was floating up in heaven... She placed another hand on top of his left shoulder while shuddering under his own touch. He glided his left hand to the lower part of her back, as if she was a butterfly – too beautiful, too delicate to even think about harming.

Bulla could really care less about what everyone else was thinking right now if they were watching her and Goten dance in comfort. She could banish everyone to hell and not regret anything because this was one moment of which she felt treasured and loved... His touches on her fair skin made her shudder, feeling tortured because he could not progress further in a public place.

As the two continue to flaunt their classical dancing skills, of which no one seemed to care, the silence between them still made it comfortable enough – not even awkward.

There was nothing to say at this moment; a moment which felt not wrong, but right between them. This was one of the moments that would come in a lifetime... A moment when you figure out that the one you love was right in front of you. So did this saying also apply to Bulla's love life? She couldn't say anything, nor think of anything as of right now... She was too entranced by his eyes, and so was Goten. He had never seen anything so perfect than he did right now. The way she looked at him – it said it all. She felt safe, entranced and loved by his presence. Goten couldn't argue... He also felt as though this was nothing but a dream, and that he was afraid that it would end. It was like he was being saved from the darkness... Just by looking into her eyes with a dazed but interested look. Saying that he was not going to break this moment. This moment was far too precious to ruin...

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

"I've had a good time with you tonight," Bulla admitted, giving one of her rare genuine smiles – the exact one that lit up her face, made her skin radiate a certain happiness – not a girly-girl kind, but of a sophistication that she could not explain. Her eyes even sparkled with a mix of clear skies, the radiance and the angelic presence of the oceans during the night.

But then a harsh, cold wind butted in – causing goose bumps to slowly announce its presence on her skin, and making her shiver in the process. But then, she felt a warmth surrounding her, protecting her from the wind.

"Goten," Bulla blushed, as she felt his fingertips slowly trail down her arms. She could still feel his intense but concerned stare, as he slowly continued to wrap his friend in his jacket. Now this was one of the reasons why she came to fancy him so much.

"I'm sorry, but you looked so cold. Are you alright?" Goten also showed a deep, crimson colour on his face as he suddenly pulled away from Bulla, and leaned forward unto the balcony rails...

"I am alright. Only because you are with me." Oh shit. Did she just say that? Just as she was about to apologize for her misdeeds, she felt his warm, relaxing breath... She could only imagine what his... sweet, enticing, inviting rosy red lips would taste like if she...

"You don't have to," Goten began, but was literally stopped by his best friend's sister's petite finger, resting lazily upon his bottom lip. He could not help but want to lean in closer, just to feel her skin brush against his. That was all he wanted to feel...

"I really like you, Goten," Bulla confessed, before kissing him on the cheek. A very short kiss, but she made sure that he could know how she felt for him...

"Bulla," Goten slipped her name off his tongue, quite enjoying saying it. He loved her name – he always thought it was lovely, just like the suddenly introverted and embarrassed girl standing before him.

"Goten."

But all of a sudden, it seemed like Bulla had regained most of her emotions... What was she doing? Did she have no self-control? She was about to kiss him! She was about to kiss someone who was already in love with someone else... Bulla felt her hopes deepen. There was no chance of being with him, even if she was in love with him. Wasn't she?

"I'm sorry, I have to go," Bulla murmured, ignoring the confused look on his face.

She immediately ran off towards the window doors; without looking back, without a care in the world. Like nothing had ever happened between them. There couldn't be anything between them. He was taken, and just the thought of he being happy with his girlfriend made Bulla shed tears uncontrollably.

She didn't feel like talking to anybody... She just wanted to be alone for a while. She just wanted to be alone in her room; crying like the world was over. It was figuratively over for Bulla... Even if there weren't any thoughts of her getting together with Goten while she was outside, she felt heart broken.

No body noticed the depressed look on her face; nobody noticed the troubled, panicked expression in her eyes, her pale skin, and even in her posture. But for once, Bulla was glad that no one saw what had happened between her and Goten. That would mean confessing what her true feelings were for him... But what were her feelings for him exactly?

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

**~~ Just a little hint of the drama that will be sure to come later on... :) **

**Also, I just wanted to show a little chemistry spark fly between them. We all know that Bulla loves Goten, but she knows that he wouldn't like her back... Or would he? Just wait and see... ~~**


	14. She Won't Say It

**Chapter 14**

There were a lot of descriptions that fit the gala last night; according to Pan, Bulla and many other people. But only one description of it did not once cross the others' minds, but it described perfectly in Bulla's opinion. It was delightful, entertaining and intense, but Bulla also thought that it was horrible. But only because that she couldn't have any self-control. After all, the two of them were about to kiss! And he had a girlfriend, so that made things worse. But was that about to stop Bulla? Even though she wasn't thinking of anything, or anyone else, at the time? No it wouldn't. But she didn't want to be known as a mistress, or the "other woman". She only wanted to be the one girl, the one person that Goten would consider to be his girlfriend. Causing unnecessary drama was not Bulla's style. If it came to clothes and important stuff like that, she would not mind. But when it came to boys, Bulla wanted nothing to do with that – heart break, infidelity, etc.

But this was not the point right now – the point was, Bulla was unhappy and sort of heart broken because she couldn't be with the man she set her heart on. She admitted that she... sort of liked him (and not in the lust-filled, attracted way), but it hurt her (literally and figuratively) to know that his heart already belonged to someone else. Normally, she would fight to get whatever she wanted, but this was one of those circumstances where she couldn't use her feisty attitude or her looks to get it. Maybe this was one of the things that she couldn't have, no matter how much she coveted after it. Yet there was hope – since many voices kept repeating to her that they belong together. But Bulla couldn't exactly believe these things, since they weren't reassuring her of the current situation.

"Bulla? What's wrong?" Pan asked, noticing her best friend's depressed look on her face. She could tell that it had to do with the party last night, and Pan could sum it up in one word: Goten. Did he do anything to her? Did he say things that she may not have wanted to hear? Did he reject her?

"What makes you think there's always something wrong?" Bulla put on a fake smile, but since she was somewhat of a bad actor, it didn't last more than five seconds.

Bulla wanted to forget everything that happened last night, she had embarrassed herself to think that Goten could ever be with someone like her. So, she did whatever any other lovestruck girl did when she couldn't have someone that she liked – listen to music, shopping with her dad, baking cookies with her grandmother, and even watching romantic movies at 3:00 in the morning. Nothing helped. And she wasn't sure if hanging out with her friend at the beach was going to help matters either, but it made her brighten to know that she would be able to wear one of her newest bikinis that she bought the last time she went to the mall.

"I know you, Bulls, now come on – spill it. What is there to be scared of?" Pan nudged Bulla in the shoulder several times in order for her to actually spill the beans.

Bulla was hardly a scaredy-cat when it came to most things, yet falling in love with a boy was an entirely different matter. Especially if he was your best friend's uncle, for Jesus' sake. And for some reason, it just made her terrified to tell Pan what the hell happened last night. Would Pan ever believe her? Or would she make things worse by talking to Goten? Bulla was a pretty independent person – she could take care of things by herself.

"How is Goten?" Bulla wanted to desperately know. She just needed to know how he was dealing with things, and Pan apparently was the only connection.

"Whatever the heck happened between the two of you, he's obviously not himself, that's for sure," Pan scoffed as she shielded her eyes from the bright sun hanging above them.

"What if I told you that he was flirting with me?" Bulla just felt guilty. She felt bad that Goten felt even more worse than she could ever hope. But she couldn't help but think that it was Goten's fault for leading her on; because for a second, she thought there was a connection between them. Chemistry, as such people would call it.

"Then don't feel bad about what he has to say to you. Get yourself a better boyfriend."

Bulla was about to ask her what she meant by "getting herself a better boyfriend" before she knew what she was talking about. Was Pan saying that Goten didn't deserve being with someone like her? Or was it just because of her friendship with Bulla, no matter if Goten was family or not? It felt good to know what she had Pan on her side at least.

"He wasn't my boyfriend to begin with," Bulla frowned with a disgusted look on her face like she ate something that turned out to be something she HATED and/or feared with her life.

"Then why do you – " Pan paused, as a look of realization hit her face. Bulla knew that look – it was if Pan just figured something out, and she hoped with her life that Pan didn't know about her feelings for Goten.

"I get it, you're in love with him."

Well, at least no one else was listening into their private public conversation, where anybody could pretend to do something else but really they would be listening in. But it wasn't like Bulla knew anybody here; it was spring break apparently, and there were parties all around the beaches.

"I'm not in love with him," Bulla snapped between her teeth.

"Liar."

"I am not!" Why didn't anybody believe her these days? What was wrong with taking sides with someone like Bulla? Did she really look like the type to be a liar?

"Really? From the intense look on your face while you were dancing with him said so otherwise," Pan smiled, knowing that she hit a sensitive spot just from the look in Bulla's blue eyes. It said that it was true – she was in love. Only that she was too stubborn and stupid to admit it.

If Bulla could come up with a comeback to counteract Pan's accusation, she would have said something that would hit Pan's heart too – only that it would be mean to do so. Yet why did Pan ever deserve to be with Trunks? Trunks wasn't exactly the type to confess love to and he wasn't exactly interested in women at the moment. Anyway, she was speechless to even reply to Pan apart from thinking about what situation Pan would be in if this were reversed.

"What would he have wanted me to do? Call him a loser and say no?"

"Yet again, Bulla, you're wrong."

"What would you know? You're too love-sessed with my brother to even notice what's going on with me and Goten!" Bulla snapped angrily, but immediately regretted it when she saw the pain and anguish she had caused her friend in a moment of pent up frustration.

"I'm sorry – I shouldn't have said that," Bulla apologized quickly, momentarily hugging her friend.

"It's okay," Pan replied, but Bulla could tell that she was pissed off at Bulla. She wasn't the only one that was stubborn in this world – Pan was pretending to be unaware of her feelings for Trunks; and that Bulla wanted her to pursue a relationship with him. But sometimes you can't make lemonade from lemons if you were given a rotten lemon.

"I don't think that Trunks likes me. I bet he just sees me as an annoying brat," Pan huffed, but Bulla thought that it would be best to not respond – she should let her friend blow off her steam (whether if it was a rhetorical statement or not).

But, if Bulla had to be brutally honest, Trunks always thought that about Pan. He always told his family that Pan wasn't his type, and that he actually liked... Maron. Bulla was furious for him falling for her and Pan's best friend, but she knew that she couldn't control what his feelings were for other people. She knew that it would damn break Pan's heart to know that. Not that Bulla would tell her anytime soon.

"You just told me that you should go find someone else worthy of your affections," Bulla reminded her as she hoped with all her heart that Pan would believe her.

"You're right, but Trunks is the only guy that I like," Pan reasoned.

"I don't have much experience with guys, Pan. Just ask yourself though – is there a time when Trunks actually said something worth meaningful to you?"

"No, there wasn't," Pan said a little too quickly, all of a sudden looking forlorn and depressed.

"Listen, Pan, you're a strong, independent girl. Not to mention pretty, but you don't need a man to realize the most important things in life," Bulla said, and she knew that she meant it. But it was also advice going to her and Goten as well – every word that she said, it reminded her of the situation between her and Goten.

Just thinking about what she just said made Bulla feel more empowered; more independent, more intelligent and more beautiful with herself than she ever had in her life. She knew that she didn't need a man, but since the whole situation with Goten, there was nothing more she wanted than getting together with him. Bulla could only hope that Pan would feel just as good as she was right now.

"You're right," Pan admitted, after a few minutes of thinking things over.

"Now what do you say about getting some ice cream?"

"I scream you scream, we all scream for ice cream!" Pan cackled as she said the most cheesy (in this case creamy) line that she always used if Bulla asked if they want to go for some ice cream. Bulla, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel truly outrageous that once again, Pan said something like this. Though she was happy that she did, because she didn't know what to do if Pan still felt down...

_What the hell went wrong last night? Was it something that I did? What did I say? Why did she have to run out on me?_ Goten asked himself of these questions as he tried to listen to what Trunks was saying about this girl that he adored – Maron.

But Goten wasn't in the mood to talk about girls. He didn't even want to hang out with Trunks at all, but Chi Chi got suspicious about how he was behaving the last night; darn his parents for getting on his tail. But still – every time that Trunks mentioned Maron, who he knew that was Bulla's best friend (apart from Pan), it was like all Goten wanted to do was throw up or go back in his room and act depressed – trying to figure out the answers to the questions that he just asked himself.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Goten? You're acting pretty weird," Trunks commented as he once again tried to snap Goten out of his imaginary world. Trunks knew what he was thinking about – or rather, who he was thinking about. He knew that Goten was the one who asked his sister to dance with him, he knew that the two of them were into each other, and he knew what happened once Goten asked her to go outside unto the balcony... But Trunks knew better than to question him about it. And yes, he knew what you readers were thinking that he's a big creep spying on his sister, but he couldn't help it. As much as Bulla annoyed him sometimes, he still loved her and wanted to do anything to protect her. Even as much as separating Goten from her.

"I'm fine, Trunks – no need to go anal on me."

"You know, I don't know what the hell happened on that balcony, and I don't know if I made it clear enough, just stay away."

"And I've made it clear that we're just friends! And I've also made it clear that Pan is in love with you, Trunks!" Goten spat out, but he immediately wanted to take back those words. Especially the last sentence, because he knew that Pan had feelings for Trunks since he accidentally listened to her and Bulla's conversation about the whole thing. He really should not have said that because he knew that Trunks would not feel that way about her. Not by a long shot.

"W-what?" Trunks blushed furiously as the play-list of what Goten said to him repeated in his head, each time getting louder and louder.

"Does she really... feel that way about me?" Trunks inquired, hoping to get another answer from his best friend.

"I shouldn't have said that, so I'm not saying anything more."

As long as the two of them stayed off the topic of Goten and Bulla's relationship, he would be happy to tell him anything that Trunks wanted to know.


	15. A Date To Go With The Apology

**Chapter 15**

Since when was Goten afraid to talk to a girl? Especially to his best friend's younger sister no less? Since when did he feel like he was going to get rejected? Since when did he feel like his stomach was like butterflies – just urging to fly away? Well, he was never afraid of all of those things until his talk with Pan had occurred.

"_What happened last night Goten?"_

_Goten was shocked to hear the least that Pan did somewhat have a clue about he and Bulla spending time together. But how could she have found out? Or worse, what would he have to do to make sure this didn't reach the Briefs household? _

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_Lie to me all you want, but I think I'm going to have to ask Bulla, as to what happened." Just the mention of that beautiful young woman in his arms the previous night made him want to melt inside. But he couldn't afford to give into his emotions. After all, he was still dating Valese, but he knew for a second that it wouldn't be the case for much longer._

"_I didn't do anything, I swear."_

_Pan looked hesitant to believe him. "Really?"_

"_Pan, do you really think I would hurt anyone?"_

"_That depends."_

"_On what?"_

_Pan giggled while Goten looked confused; it was like he was missing a joke, or any other significant part of this conversation. Just what made his predicament so funny? There was nothing funny about the way Bulla left him, the way she couldn't stand to look at him after the gala. There was nothing funny about the obvious front Bulla had to put on while saying farewell to her family's guests. There was nothing funny about her ignoring him for the rest of the evening. Goten knew that he must have done something to upset her in some state. Was it because she liked him? Was it because he had a girlfriend and she couldn't get in the way? Or perhaps was it because she knew there could be nothing between them, since her father and his father were ex-rivals. But that could change any moment if they started dating._

"_What's so funny?" Goten asked, only a little ruder than he intended. _

"_She likes you, you know," Pan admitted, "And you like her, end of story."_

"_That's... flattering," Goten said, "but I already have a girlfriend. It would never work out between us, so stop bothering me about it." _

"_But Bulla would be a much better one," Pan began before Goten put up a hand – telling her that he did not want to talk about this subject matter anymore. Besides, it was not like it was any of Pan's business about his love life._

_In fact, how did she come to know of the events that took place at the gala? She couldn't have been spying on him, he would have known about it. Saiyans could detect other people's energy, but Goten couldn't find any around him when he and Bulla were out on the balcony. _

_Speaking of, Goten should apologize to her. He did something wrong that made her upset somehow, and he wanted to make it up to her. There couldn't be any harm to asking her on a friendly date was there? And there wouldn't be any pressure into doing something that he was uncomfortable with, since he would let Bulla be in charge of what they would be doing. He hoped that she would say yes to his advances. He didn't want there to be any awkward moments between them, which would make things much worse in his situation._

_Would she be a good girlfriend? Well, Saiyans were the type to be faithful once they picked their mate – that was what Vegeta said anyway, except in much cruder terms – and they would never leave them since the bond was unbreakable. Only through death._

_Bulla would be faithful since he knew that she had no boyfriend, which made him feel relieved for some reason. She would be by his side more times than he could count, and that she would never leave him. Maybe Pan was right: maybe Bulla would be a better girlfriend._

Since then, Goten was more anxious than ever. He still had no clue on what to say to Bulla based on his obnoxious behavior. Yet, Goten didn't know what he had done wrong. Then he knew better it had to do with Bulla. But what was wrong with her? (not in the insane sense) Goten thought that she was upset with something, but it didn't seem that way... Not after they almost kissed. Even though he was mesmerized by her presence, Goten couldn't say for sure whether he wanted to or not. He had to admit that he liked Bulla. A lot. But there was everything else in his life that he had to consider. For example, would his parents take kindly to their son to date someone who's older than her? But the main people to worry about was Bulla's family... Bulma would approve, but the men in the family would not. In fact, he couldn't imagine what Vegeta would do to him. Although Goten was confused at the same time; would he risk it all just to be with Bulla? He'd even be willing to break up with Valese just to be with Bulla. But would that even be smart? Ditch another girl, break her heart and get together with another one? He wasn't even sure if he and Bulla would even last as a couple – even if they were bonded. Goten could imagine it; the fighting, the tears and the apologies. On the other hand though, the future he saw with Valese wasn't as bright either. They'd fight, make up, start another fight and even contemplating ending it.

_Do it,_ his mind urged, encouraging him to do the unthinkable. Goten wasn't a selfish person, so he actually thought of other people before himself (most of the time, when he wasn't obsessed with candy when he was a child). He could picture Valese's reaction when he broke up with her – angry mostly, a little sadness and even some desperate actions of getting him back. Goten could really care less. Let her think that. Let her think that she would be able to earn his trust. Which wouldn't be easy at all.

Speaking of easy and hard things, Goten had to think about how to unveil his message to Bulla – to make up for whatever he did to her before. The stupidest thing anyone could possibly have done was see them face to face at their house. No. Vegeta would be able to sense him coming over, and he would act suspicious if he wasn't there for Trunks. Goten crossed that idea off his mind. But what about emailing Bulla? Well, that idea was crossed off too because he heard from Trunks that Bulla didn't even have her own computer yet alone an email address. But what about phoning? He knew that she had a cell phone, and yes, he did know her number. It actually wasn't a bad idea – he could hear her voice, he would have the chance to talk to her, and he wouldn't have to worry about pissed off family members to beat him up just for talking to her.

Well, here it goes.

"Hello?" Bulla answered boredly, and even sounded a little depressed. Most people, however, would mistaken her to be tired and exhausted, but never depressed. They didn't think that she was the type to be down about life, but clearly, that was the media talking. Bulla felt as if people made preconceived ideas about her, like if they knew her. But they didn't. And no one even really tried. Just spread the word about the "truth" and gain extra cash. It's all about the money these days, really.

"Hey, Bulla, what's up?"

Goddammit to Hell and straight back to Heaven on Earth. It was Goten. Why the hell would he be phoning her?

"Nothing much," She blankly replied, while lying down on her bed – trying to relax and getting ready for a much-needed nap. Unfortunately, her social life had other plans.

"Listen, I wanted to apologize for... you know," Goten began, awaiting a response from the girl that attracted him, but no such luck, "from what happened at the party. I didn't mean to get you upset."

Bulla nearly swooned from his apology – she knew that he dearly meant it. She felt guilty that it really was HIS fault because of the way she acted. But in truth, it wasn't him, it was her. She just realized in the heat of the moment who he was, who she was and why they couldn't be together. Why they couldn't be more than friends. In retrospect, Bulla shouldn't have ignored him in all this time. She just couldn't find anything to say to him. How could she apologize to him? She worried about what he would say to her, what his reaction would be.

"Bulla?" Goten repeated, wondering why she wasn't saying anything. He knew it. She wouldn't forgive him. She was still mad at him, and there was nothing that Goten could do to make things any better.

"Don't hang up," Bulla said quickly, causing Goten to hesitate. What did she just say?

"I'm sorry," Bulla apologized while she prayed with all her heart to the gods that he would believe her.

"Why should you be sorry?"

"Because I'm the one that scared you away," Bulla snapped.

"Well, what's wrong?"

"You don't want to know." It's true – Goten shouldn't know what was really wrong with Bulla. She had to admit things straight off. She was in love with him. She was in love with her brother's friend, and he was the one thing that she couldn't have. It took her a long time to admit this, but she felt better to admit it. She wanted to be with him, she wanted to kiss him, and she wanted to hold him – meaning that she would always be at his side. Just thinking about being with him in that way made her turn red and feeling like a tomato from the inside as well. Could she not have any self-control much?

"Whatever it is, you'll get through it."

"You're so nice," Bulla joked, but smiled as he said those oh-so-helpful words – advice that she would use in the nearby future. "You don't have to be so sweet and kind to me."

"You blew me off a couple of times, so I think we're kind of evening things off," Goten laughed, and before long, he could hear her joining in on the giggles. For some reason, it made him happy that she was happy. But, maybe it's his personality talking – he couldn't bear to see anyone else sad and lonely.

"Perhaps I've had it coming." Who knew that it was so nice to talk on the phone? Who knew that it was so nice to talk to someone who knew what it was like to be her? It made Bulla feel as though she had a lot more friends in her life... Except that Goten made her feel more appreciated, beautiful and elegant everyday. Yep, these had to be signs that she was in love. Bulla wanted to consider the fact that he would love her in return, but it was hard to read a guy's mind, even though Goten's shouldn't be.

And so, hours and hours passed; Bulla had cheered up emmensly and she still enjoyed her talk with Goten on the phone. They were covering their favourite topics, like bands, food, hobbies, etc etc. Bulla felt like she could be more of herself around him, even then she was talking on the phone with her crush.

"Listen, I, uh, just wanted to ask you if you wanted to hang out sometime?"

Bulla felt her heart flop. This was it! Maybe the two of them were actually going on a date, after all! This was so exciting! She had to tell Pan!

"Sure," Bulla said, calm and collected while her mind was struggling to overcome the adrenaline she was feeling right now.

"I was thinking about going to the amusement park, you wanna go?"

"Yeah, I'd love that," Bulla replied, smiling.

Now, there was nothing more she looked forward to than hanging out with the love of her life...


	16. Instinctive Choices And Lies

**Chapter 16**

**~~ Just a quick author's note! Um, normally I'm not a desperate person, but in this case, I'm obviously that desperate. I noticed that this story only has 36 reviews thus far (no, I'm not going to give up on it since I worked my ass off planning the rest of it – which I did) and I felt kind of... bleh. I just want more reviews – after all, there had been a lot of people suscribing to it and that they added it to their favourite stories list. Please pass this story around to Goten/Bulla lovers! I just want more reviews! ~~**

Obviously, in the past few days, said parents of sad, lonely children would notice that they've changed their recent behavior. Of course that would mean that they would heighten their suspicions, but in some cases, it wouldn't be necessary to some people.

For example, in Goten's case, he had cheered up immensely that he had made up with Bulla. He loved her being around him when she needed him – even though they weren't besties – and he loved the fact that she appreciated his company. He loved everything about her; except that he wouldn't admit that he liked her in the general sense of more than like direction that was being taken.

You'd think that a parent would grow suspicious of his sudden change of attitude of his outlook on life. You're right. However, Goku didn't seem to notice much but didn't ask any questions. This was coming from the man who usually spent his life training, even if there weren't any threats lurking about. Chi Chi was the mother that you ought to look out for. She was clever, smart, beautiful, and there were other things to describe her as. But for now, the only thing that Goten should worry about was cleverness. Right when Goten had begun to cheer up, she got suspicious about him. Did he break up with Valese? If so, then Chi Chi should have been feeling glad. But she had a feeling that he didn't break up with her. Instead, she felt like there was more than what her son was telling her. And she was prepared to find out why.

"Where are you going, Goten?" Chi Chi asked as curiously as possible.

"Just going out with a friend, mom," Goten replied eagerly as he struggled to find his jacket.

"Why do all of my babies have to leave?" Chi Chi wailed frustratingly as she went back to the living room. Since Gohan hardly ever visits her, along with his family, she always wanted her other son to make up for the time that Gohan lost. Not to mention that her outrageous husband always left her to go training all the time, so that left her lonely during the day.

"I'm not leaving you mom," Goten tried to explain, but the poor cries from his obviously desperate mother tuned him out. He did kind of feel bad to leave his mother to go out on a date with Bulla since he knew that his family hardly ever had time with her. Goten knew that she was a needy person who loved to be around other people, and if she was alone all of a sudden, she'd get upset. You could say that would be her worst fear.

"Just promise me that you'll come back to visit your dear old, mother," Chi Chi said, wiping her tears from her face. She had grown far too attached to her family, and she would not give up anything in the world for them. Well, she would, but that would make her family even more poor since their move to the city.

"I promise I'll come back to you," Goten grinned, also making his mom smile in hopes to cheer herself up.

Unlike his father, Goten knew that he would make good on his promises – he wasn't the type of person to leave another hanging on every word, feeling disappointed that he never kept a promise. But weren't promises made to be kept?

If anything, Bulla should be feeling nervous that she was about to go on her first date in her life. But she didn't. She only felt excited and happy that Goten asked her, out of all people. And she always wondered if this was only a friendly outing, or if he liked her for real. Bulla hoped that he was in love with her, just as she was in love with him. However, if he revealed information that he didn't like her more as a friend, Bulla would feel disappointment and discontent with her life. She would never give up her heart for anyone else. And it was true. She hardly ever check a guy's ass out, commented on how good-looking a man's face was or how impressive a boy's physique was at the beach. Bulla wasn't the type to go after every other guy in the city – she had standards, morals and a certain type to go after. For example, she just wanted somebody that can love her for who she was. It was only natural to fall in love with Goten; even though she was kind of risking her other life to do so. Her mom would approve, Trunks and Vegeta wouldn't. That was the thing. That was the only frightening thing she was scared of that could possibly happen. Apart from the whole Goten had a girlfriend issue, Bulla actually felt confident that she could make this work with him.

For the fifth time in ten minutes, Bulla pushed her lips into a confident smile; thinking of all the possibilities that could happen while on her date with Goten. She glanced at her beautiful reflection in her mirror that she received on her fifteenth birthday from her mother; telling her that she was perfect the way she was. Hopefully, Bulla would receive the same talk from Goten, that he liked her the way she was. He didn't know that she had to deal with self-consious issues when growing up. She hated her hair, she hated every other flaw she called a flaw and she didn't think that anyone would like her. Especially the whole prep-school ideal.

Anyways, Bulla knew that she looked good. She chose a simple, lilac summer dress that went straight to her knees – it showed her curves, it paid good attention to her chest and her broad shoulders. But the most important thing, that she knew now and not something that she told herself before, was that if she was happy with herself, everything was going to be fine. It was going to be more than fine. It was going to be perfect.

"Where are you off to, honey?" Bulma asked, right when her daughter made her appearance downstairs where every one else was eating lunch. Maybe it wasn't the best time to announce to the world that she and Goten were going on a date.

"Going out with a friend," Bulla answered, trying to hide any fatal flaws (in this case her hamartia for Goten) so no one else could detect what was wrong with her.

"Pan again?" Trunks busted in, while he was eating his food which disgusted his sister greatly. The worst thing about having Saiyans for family was that they never have any manners when it came to eating food. They always rushed, they always eat while talking at the same time and they hardly ever excuse themselves if they belch from eating a ton of food at the same time.

"We're just heading off to the amusement park," Bulla said, as she tucked a few strands of her cerulean blue hair behind her ears.

Somehow Trunks was not inclined to believe his younger sister. In fact, if he didn't know any better, she was probably off on some date with some boy. Why else would she dress up in purple? He knew that she liked purple, but Bulla hardly ever dressed up in it. Wait a second. A thought just came to mind; it was one colour that Goten liked. Was she going on a date with his best friend?

"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?"

"I'm fine – we'll just get something at the park," Bulla waved her farewell to her beloved family before exiting her house. She couldn't help but think though that Trunks and Vegeta never believed her for one second. Maybe they knew that she was acting weird, since the whole dance fiasco/nearly kissed drama with Goten. Now that she changed her attitude on life, of course they would get suspicious. Fortunately for her, and unlucky for them, they would never know the reasons for her happiness. Not the faux bubble-gum Hannah Montana happiness, but something more authentic and genuine like Natalie Portman when she found out she was having a baby.

_You don't have anything to worry about,_ Bulla told herself as she shielded her eyes from the blazing sun above. But why did she get the feeling that something was definitely going to happen later on? Oh yeah, it's just paranoia.

**~~ Sorry for the short chapter, I promise that the next one will be a lot longer, lol. I know that you were expecting the date between Goten and Bulla, so I'm sorry that I didn't give you a heads-up or anything. However, to make it up to you, there are a few chapters that will dedicate to their date so be prepared. Will they kiss? Will Goten finally face his feelings for Bulla? But what about Trunks and Vegeta? Are they going to invade her privacy to see what she is doing, with no regard about her social life? Read on the next exciting chapter... ~~**


	17. A Hopeless Romantic

**Chapter 17**

"So what did you want to do now, Bulla?" Goten asked politely, and just happened to love the way Bulla pursed her beautiful, rosy lips in a thinking-mode pout. He also happened to love the way her sea-blue hair fell straight down to her upper back, silky, smooth and with a nice aroma of coconuts and lavender...

"And please don't say the roller coasters, unless you want me to puke all over you again," Goten reminded, cutting off Bulla completely which he was sure that she wanted to go on that ride again.

Bulla couldn't help but giggle. Even though Goten was right about the possible events that could once again happen, she knew that it didn't matter – she had an awesome time so far, even if he puked on her hair when they were on the latest rollar coaster a few hours ago. She had way too much fun to think about something as disgusting as barf on her hair, and all she could think about now was what ride to go on next. Bulla had an idea, but she didn't know whether Goten wanted to go on it or not. Well, she kind of established the idea of going on the Ferris wheel a few hours ago, and she mentioned it to Goten, but had no idea if he even listened to one word that she even said. Back then, Bulla wondered if he really wanted to make things up with her since he was spacing out a lot. She wouldn't let that happen.

And she wondered if he knew that once you reached the top of a Ferris wheel – especially at this time of night which was currently 10:00 – and if you were with a boy/girl, you would kiss while up in the sky with a fair view of the city lights... She had been fantasizing about the moment when she would kiss him, but Bulla was frightened. She didn't know how Goten would react if she did; although he wouldn't mind, in her opinion. Besides, she could use the excuse of him being chilvarous for a kiss... Especially of what happened one hour ago...

"_Goten, you didn't have to get that for me," Bulla smiled gratefully at her current object of affection, who gently handed her an enormous but painfully adorable panda bear that he won on a ring toss game that he just played. _

"_It's no big deal," Goten shrugged his shoulders as he once again squeezed her hand in a token of affection for Bulla. She blushed in response, hoping that he wouldn't see it. She wasn't much of a person to blush in public, but what he did for her made her swoon inside. Was it her or was Goten turning more and more into __her Prince Charming she had dreamed of when she was a kid? Bulla decided the second option that was more realistic. She wasn't crazy. She was only crazy in love with Goten, who she hoped that he would feel the same way about her. She loved the way he smiled, she loved the way how he was nice to everyone, even little children who needed cheering up after they lost their ice cream to the ground in an epic tripping battle (which made Bulla think that he would make an excellent father), and she loved the way he genuinely expressed his opinions about relationships. She could tell that he was honest, and Bulla thought honesty was a major, integral part in relationships – family, romance, friendship, etc. Which that had made her love him even more..._

_As Bulla continued to daydream about her future boyfriend – whom she had no idea that she was slowly starting to obsess about – she unwittingly and unknowingly bumped face-first into a muscular, gang banger-type juvenile delinquent (who she had to assume for the most part), who was busy talking to his friends. Unfortunately, said delinquent noticed that something bumped into him, and never once did said someone apologize for their actions._

"_What the hell is your problem?" He snarled, taking a good look at the person who dared to hit him with their strength. But he noticed the gorgeous goddess with cerelean blue hair staring at him, with regret and apology written in her eyes. He had never seen someone so angelic, and beautiful looking at him like that..._

"_I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," Bulla squeaked out, becoming quite frightened of the boy's large size and ego. _

"_No harm done," He smiled, ignoring the curious Goten that currently was holding the girl's hand. _

"_Well, if you excuse us," Bulla also forced a smile in return,also while getting a creeped out feeling about this guy. The way he smiled at her made her think that she was a target for attention of the male species... Pervert. _

"_Why don't you hang out with me for a while? Certainly you have an attraction for someone like me." Said perverted delinquent grabbed Bulla's other free hand, which was trembling in fear._

"_I'm sorry, I already have a boyfriend." Bulla was feeling too spacey right now to do any hurtful justice towards the lecher. All she wanted to do was head with Goten in the opposite direction, having fun at the amusement park and maybe become a couple._

"_I'm sorry, but I think you deserve someone much better."_

"_And you think you're in the running for such position?" _

"_Sassy little bitch, aren't you?" He looked up and down, trying to see what else this girl was hiding from him..._

_Goten, who had ignored the boyfriend comment (but not so much without a blush __at least, as to say embarrassing, but he couldn't care less right now), noticed the man continuing to bother Bulla – which she didn't appreciate in the least. He growled, obviously feeling angry for some reason. He was angry that this man had dangerous intentions for someone like Bulla, who turned into his perfect princess more and more as they spent their time together. _

"_Leave her alone, punk," Goten pushed Bulla behind him protectively as he took another look at the guy who continued to sexually harrass her. Something that he did not tolerate. Ever, in any circumstances. _

_Bulla felt serenaded, and as if this was a dream come true as he pushed her gently behind him – leaving Goten to deal with the mess. Even though she hated when people fought over trivial things, she couldn't say anything to stop Goten. She could tell that he was starting to heat up in anger. _

"_Sweetheart, you need a real man," The man said, smirking as he pointed his icy, cold and creepy gaze from the boy who challenged him to the girl who was his object of desire. _

"_I have a real man, and he'll be even more real than you'll ever be!" Bulla snapped, deciding to stand up for herself, and for Goten who did more than enough to protect her already. _

_Before she knew it, a harsh slap was indented upon her face, sending her straight to the ground. She wasn't used to a man hitting her this hard before – not even Trunks or her father would do something like that. This was why she loved Goten – he had self-control, he had manners and he was the perfect gentleman..._

"_A real man wouldn't hit a woman," Goten said coldly before punching said abusive delinquent in the stomach, not very hard, but hard enough for him to leave in distaste. _

"_Goten?" Bulla asked quietly, wondering if he was starting to calm down. She was somewhat scared of his new self – the controlling, angry side that had hardly ever been released._

"_Are you okay?" Goten offered a gentle hand to her, hoping that she would take it. He wanted her to forgive him for his actions, but more importantly, hoping that she would still like him._

_Bulla, without a response, smiled and took his hand which he generously offered towards her and stood up, while making a decision. Next thing Goten knew, she kissed him lovingly on the cheek, and he could feel his face warming up from the contagious kiss that she gave to him without any regrets. Not that he didn't enjoy it, which he certainly did, Goten felt more calm and relaxed. But there was one thing for sure. No one would hurt his Bulla ever again._

Bulla smiled at the recent memory. She knew that Goten obviously cared about her in that way, and she somewhat hoped that he would make a move on her tonight. Once they reached the top of the Ferris wheel...

"How about the Ferris wheel?" Bulla offered.

"Sure," Goten nodded in agreement as he watched his Bulla squeal in happiness as she rushed to the booth to wait for him... He didn't know what to do without her...

Everything that Bulla had done in her life up to this moment was worth it. It was worth baking him a cake for his birthday, it was worth accepting his hand to dance, and it was worth hanging out with him on a date to the amusement park. But you know that what was hardly worth? The cold. Bulla shivered violently, trembling as she felt the icy cold breeze do wonders on her skin. She knew that she should have packed a coat, but she didn't know how long the two of them were going on a date for.

"Are you cold? Here, take my jacket," Goten pulled off his own heat protectorate and placed it around Bulla's shoulders, hoping that she would radiate his own body heat from the jacket.

"You didn't have to do that, Goten," Bulla said, as she moved closer toward Goten as the two of them gazed interestedly at the city lights from the top of the Ferris Wheel. The lights illuminating from the city were like stars – they twinkled with a distinctive colour, you could always see them at night and they were never going away any time soon. Which made it more romantic to Bulla as the stars also hung themselves above the couple sitting in silence.

"I wanted to, and plus, I couldn't bear to see a woman like you freezing to death," Goten winked.

"We can share, I can't bear to see you shivering to death too," Bulla said before grabbing his hand, holding unto it persuasively as leverage to get him to agree with her offer.

"You're very gracious," Goten wiggled his eyebrows flirtatiously, causing Bulla to laugh. He would do anything to make her laugh; because he yearned to hear the joyous squeals of happiness coming from the girl that he had come to love, even if he didn't quite realize it yet.

A comfortable silence soon surrounded the two of them, and neither of them thought it was extremely awkward.

Bulla thought it would be a good time to contemplate her next move. She somewhat thought that he would make a first move, but then she realized that he wasn't the dominate type – he treated everyone with equal respect; something that Bulla had admired, and it made her love Goten more and more...

_Come on you big chicken, do it! _Bulla told herself, frustrated that she still couldn't bring herself to kiss him.

_What if he doesn't like me?_ Another part of Bulla – the self-conscious part at least – asked herself.

_He does so like you, girl, you just need to believe in yourself. Take initiative! Be a leader! Show him what you can do._ After hearing those empowering, confident and inspirational words, Bulla thought that there couldn't be anything wrong with kissing the man that she loved. And she was sure that she loved him, since she never loved anyone else in her life (romantically).

Before time could be frozen any longer, Bulla kissed him. She kissed him with all her heart and soul as she continued to hold onto Goten's cheeks with both of her hands while moving her lips in sync with his own... At first, she thought that he wouldn't return her bold declaration of love, but those doubts melted away as she felt Goten return it... She felt two strong but incredibly smooth hands move into her hair, pulling her closer to him. She was burning up for him... As the two of them continued to lock their lips perfectly, they hardly ever noticed a pair of infuriating brown eyes stare at them with only one intention in mind: to break them up.

**~~ I hoped that you guys enjoyed this chapter! I didn't want to include EVERY SINGLE DAMN DETAIL of their date, but I put the most important things that are integral for Bulla and Goten, but all that matters now is that the two of them finally kissed! Hold onto your pants as the chemistry heats up! Don't worry, it won't be until tomorrow until I update ;) ~~**


	18. Somebody She Used To Know

**Chapter 18**

Bulla Briefs normally didn't think that life would be simple. She only thought that if you lived it as simple – depending on how your lifestyle was – as you could, then it could become much easier for you. She was not even close to being right. But having the wrong answers only makes you think to ask the right questions, but it wasn't like Bulla could ask anything to anyone (except Pan) for the moment. She still wanted to keep this all a secret – she didn't want anyone else to know. Especially her family. She was doing this, after all, to protect Goten from getting his butt kicked, shot, and murdered from her family. Although, Bulla always thought that she was great at keeping secrets – she always thought she was a good actress after all.

Anyway, the point was, was that she was great at making decisions. Even though half of the time she had to rethink them, go over some things that are considered "wrong and immoral" by her family and friends, and even had to be told that she was wrong, Bulla would never give up trying on deciding life-changing choices. Bulla never was a perfectionist, but at times, she still felt as though she could do a lot better – for example, thinking of others and what they would do in life-threatening situations. She wouldn't know what she would do if she was in Pan's shoes; I.e, being in love with someone that wouldn't love you back, but actually loved your best friend, who didn't even suspect that had a crush on him naturally. The drama in Bulla's life was slowly rising, but eventually it would be too much for her to handle. But it wasn't like she could handle that much in her life anyway, since she avoided into getting into fights with her friends. In fact, that was the only reason why she was only friends with Pan and Marron – the other human girls her age would stir up more cat fights for simple things.

There were times like these when Bulla herself, didn't know what to do in her own shoes. It was like everything that she knew about herself was erased, and that her old values and morals were considered to be useless, so she had to rethink her ideas and beliefs. For example; what was she going to do now that she and her crush had finally kissed? She hoped that he would call like he said he would – actually, he didn't say anything EXACTLY relating to something like that, but Bulla had to assume that if a boy likes a girl, he would call her after a date. Preferably the next day. But Bulla had been watching way too many chick flicks, so she could just be creating a stereotype. And she had been raised to never judge people based on their culture, race, etc, so she couldn't help but feel somewhat confused. She felt entirely frustrated that she still didn't know what to do of the current situation. Should she call Goten? Or should she just wait? But everyone important in her life knew that she was NOT the most patient girl in the world – for example; once, when she was ten, she was promised to get new clothes at the mall at a specific time, and let me tell you, since she was too energetic to get going, the family had to wait an extra half hour before she could start to get relaxed and patient.

Speaking of relaxation and patience, Bulla still could not wait. She was too tempted to call Goten out on another date, since she could still taste the minty flavour of his lips... But she knew that she sounded kind of desperate too – after all, this was her first boyfriend she was talking about, so of course she would feel jittery and obsessive. But if Bulla wanted to be even more desperate to win Goten's heart, she was wondering if she should read up on men. She wouldn't ask Trunks or Vegeta obviously, since they would get suspicious. She could ask her mother, but knowing her, she'd be drilling into Bulla's young love-obsessed mind to get answers, so that was obviously not an option. What about Pan? Well, she wasn't that experienced either when it came to guys, so that wasn't an option. Maron, well, that was actually a possibility. She knew she had several boyfriends over the years, and she wasn't the type of person to get nosy and get into Bulla's personal life, Maron would be the girl to talk to. Now that Bulla had that cleared off her chest, she was feeling better. Emotionally, but physically, she still felt stressed.

She did finish off training with her dad and Trunks ten minutes ago, and they dared to accuse her of slacking off. Although Bulla did nothing more than roll her eyes at that smart-ass comment, well, she knew that they were right – she put her social life first before exercising her body and her mind. Maybe that was because she was really stressed and angry all the time – because she was radiating negative energy.

Bulla sighed. Since there was nothing else to do – she didn't feel like going shopping and she felt like she had enough clothes as it is – she may as well talk to one of her friends of the whole mess. Maron would be the best bet, since Bulla didn't think she was the person to judge anybody for what they believe in and so forth.

Before she could even think of a decent solution for her dilemna, her phone chirped repeatedly, letting said love-struck teenager that she had a phone call. Personally, Bulla always thought that you would get arthritis from texting 24/7. Wait, that was a lie – her mother always thought that; so now Bulla had to pay for an ultra-expensive contract plan if she wanted unlimited text.

"Hello?" Bulla greeted, but sounded kind of dull and depressed, but who would blame her since she had a problem?

"Hey Bulla," Goten said in return, only a little too quickly. Since Bulla was somewhat of a talent when it came to mind reading, she could tell that he had a lot on his mind; and this was coming from talking to him on the phone.

"What's up?" Bulla felt her heart beat soar higher and higher in euphoria, and she felt herself tense up, just waiting for what Goten wanted... Maybe he wanted to take her on another date, maybe share another kiss and become glued at the hip like other couples their age.

To be honest, Bulla didn't care much of the future, but when it came to boys and what not, she could gladly make an exception for Goten – she could picture herself being with him for the rest of her life... Maybe he was her meant-to-be soulmate! Even though she didn't believe in that type of stuff when she was little, she sure believed it now!

"We need to talk."

Bulla could feel her face freeze up, but at the same time her happiness and her smile melted away – leaving a disappointed look on her now-pale face.

"What do we need to talk about?"

"About what happened last night. Look, I really like you Bulla, I really do," Bulla smiled, pleased with herself as he continued to explain, "but I'm in a relationship right now, so I'm going to have to take care of that, you know?"

"So what you're saying is that you led me on," Bulla stated coldly and as hurt as she could – obviously trying to make Goten for what he did.

How could she have forgotten that he was in a relationship with that stank bitch Valese? But it wasn't her fault too – if there was anybody to blame, it had to be Goten. It wasn't fair for him to lead her on like that when they were hitting it off at the amusement park so swell, yet why did he do it? Did he forget about who he was currently seeing? If so, well, Bulla wouldn't blame him.

"No, I didn't lead you on, Bulls," Goten said as calm and cool as he could possibly be. Though it hurt for him to realize that she was somewhat right, and that he kind of used her to forget about his problems, but he still had fun with her. And because of all the drama that had been happening lately, he actually grew more fond of her, and fancied her more. But it would be a lot harder to pursue a girl of her stature, and he had to realize that fact as well.

"You're so beautiful and smart, and you even make me laugh; and I love that about you. But I have to take care of Valese first, though."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I want to be with you, Bulla."

"Really?" She began to lose her anger with Goten as he said those sweet words. Apparently, the girl couldn't hold a grudge very long if she always get serenaded with flowers, candy, jewelary, clothes and/or words that would mean a lot to her, whether if they were true or not. But still – Bulla felt more inclined to empathize with Goten and she felt more comfortable about talking things with him.

"I want to be with you too," Bulla admitted, as she felt a heavy straight forward blush appear on her cheeks. If only she could have used the excuse of the cold weather, but it appeared to be the exact opposite these days.

Of course Bulla wanted to admit her true feelings to him but just like what he said, he had to take care of his other relationship first. Hopefully, she would be able to say how she felt about him until then.


	19. Smurfette Is Going Down

**Chapter 19**

~~**Hey guys! Is it just me or is it that I'm losing reviewers? :( I'm sorry, it's just whenever I compare this story's reviews to my others, I feel a bit under-appreciated. But anyway, here's the half-way point – things are going to become INTENSE with the whole Bulla/Goten/Valese love triangle going on now. But don't think that the rest of the world is done with them... ~~**

If there was any clue as to what the hell was wrong with Valese's boyfriend, she could sure pick it up in less than a minute. She was more than furious as to why he kept brushing her away like a flea on their date – there was someone else. Of course there was someone else; Valese had witnessed him kiss another woman on the Ferris wheel and she was on the next one up.

How could she have let this happen? Wait. She shouldn't have been asking that to herself. She should be hell-bent to know why Goten kissed that Bulla Briefs girl – he was in love with HER, not that blue-haired freak. Valese knew that she currently sounded jealous at this moment, but she didn't care. She was going to make an obvious claim that Goten was hers, and hers alone.

She was not going to lose the only man in her life that actually cared for her, as he did so in the start of their blossoming relationship. Her parents were far too busy with their business deals to ever spend time with their daughter, and it saddened and angered Valese to this day. Goten was the only one she loved, and she was NOT about to give him up without a fight. He had to love her, right?

If that was the case, then why the hell did he kiss, out of all people, Bulla Briefs? She wasn't the type of person to keep a boy very long – she would most likely be a spoiled brat who always got what she wanted. Well, she wouldn't take the one man this time. She would not take Goten away from her. She loved him, and he loved her, end of story. Face the facts.

"What the hell's wrong with you, Goten?" Valese bickered, snapping her boyfriend out of his little daydream. She knew who he was thinking about. There was no one else on Earth that was far more prettier than Valese herself; her brown eyes, and chocolate-colored hair were enough to seduce a man, yet Goten didn't care? Valese would make him care about her, and not about that Briefs bitch that kissed him at the amusement park the previous night.

When she saw them locking lips, Valese wanted nothing more than to kick her ass for making a move on him. He was hers! Damn it all to hell. If anything, she should have been the one on the date with Goten; who she suspected at the time didn't tell her the truth that he said he was going to hang out with his friends. Some friend Bulla was, apparently. And now that she was trying to slip Goten out from under her clutches and into her own, Valese knew that it was time to make a war face. It was on.

"Goten, I know what you've been doing lately, and I want to know why you're here," Valese whispered, starting to tear up. There was only one possible reason why that he brought her here to the park where they went for their first date. It didn't look like the type of place to break up with your partner – it was serene, peaceful, sunny, warm; not the type of place where you usually would break up, which would be depressing, cold, dark. Well, she never really knew what the setting would be if you broke things off, after all, Goten was her first boyfriend.

She couldn't believe this was happening. Goten couldn't break up with her. She loved him too much, even when they were fighting a lot. It was like they cared enough more than they realized when they fought, and she hoped that he would see that. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here saying what he had to say. Did he like that girl more than her? Was this whole relationship just a lie and a waste of time?

It was not. She wanted to tell Goten that she loved him, but didn't know how to start. What if he never loved her back? Could it be possible the reason why they were fighting a lot was that he was now in love with someone else?

Now, she felt more inclined to hold onto her and Goten's love for each other rather than being angry with him. She was more saddened and anxious for the awaiting words that he would say to her.

Tears were forming in her eyes, and Valese couldn't ignore them. What did they matter if she couldn't have Goten back? No. She will have Goten back. His heart will always belong to Valese. Forever and always.

"Valese, I..." Goten knew that he had to break up with Valese, but the solemn, loving and desperate look in her eyes made him think otherwise. He bit his lip. What was he supposed to do now?

He led Valese to the very park where they had their first date to break up with her, and say that they should always be friends. But now... he didn't know what to do. Goten didn't want to lie to Valese, but he couldn't bear to find Bulla find out the truth either. Should he stay in a relationship with Valese? He didn't even know if he still loved her anymore. Bulla came into the picture, and Goten swore that he would be with her too.

He was not much of a liar, since he hardly ever did such a thing. He didn't want to hurt people, and second of all, it would lead to some heavy consequences if he lied – not to mention having people think otherwise about his character.

"Please, please give me another chance," Valese begged, starting to sob while more tears ran down her cheeks and unto the picnic blanket. She honestly didn't know what to do without him in her life, and if he left, well, she would never be happy again in her life time. He was the only one that made her truly happy in her life, since everyone else didn't care about her since they were busy.

"I'm sorry, Valese, but I can't do this anymore."

"W-why not?"

"I'm not in love with you anymore, Valese and I hate myself for telling you this but we're not meant to be. I never meant to hurt you."

Valese, always the girl to PMS every five seconds, suddenly became embarrassed and angry and less sad. How could he say those things to her? How could he even say he never loved her anymore? Did that mean... he once loved her? Then how come he never said it once when they were together during happier times?

"Did you?"

"What?"

"Did you love me? Before everything happened?" Valese wiped her tears away as she explained the rest of her question in vague detail.

"I did love you," Goten admitted, letting Valese believe what she wanted to believe. It was even harder for him to do this – letting Valese go. This was why people were upset during break-ups, especially if you were with them in a large period of time, they couldn't deal with the other one leaving them forever. Was this what it was going to be like for him and Valese? "But in truth, I didn't know if it would last."

"So you led me on, all this time huh? What about that girl you seem to enjoy sucking face? Did you lead her own too?" Valese asked bitterly, moving away from said cheater.

"What are you talking about?" Goten lied, showing "surprise" appear on his face. However, he did know exactly she was talking about.

After he and Bulla had shared a kiss, he had a feeling that someone was watching them. But he couldn't tell who, since he was personally distracted by Bulla. Could Valese have been there? Could she have been the one to watch the two of them kiss?

"There's no point in lying to me, Goten. I know everything. I saw everything between you and that wench on the Ferris wheel," Valese continued, with a chilling tone in her voice.

"It's why I'm breaking up with you, Valese, because I can't hurt you anymore than I already have."

"So now you love her more than me?"

Goten could not exactly place what his feelings for Bulla were right now. All he felt now was guilt and confused. He really didn't know what else to say, since this was the first time HE had to do the breaking-up part. When he said he had hardly any experience with girls, he was lying; he had flings in the past, but did they truly count now? But one thing he knew for sure was that the kiss between Bulla and himself was not something worth regrettable. He liked it too much, and he could tell that he had a deeper connection with her now that they have kissed. But where do the two of them stand now? Were they more than friends? Well, the only thing that Goten knew was that the two of them were definitely not a fling. There was only one thing left to do – think about this later. If there was anything less important, it would be labeling relationships. He hated thinking about that type of stuff, if he knew what they were already; Goten didn't see the point in announcing to the world of what you really mean to each other. As long as the partners knew, well, there was nothing anyone else could do.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? Then why are you even breaking up with me?" Valese shrieked, frustrated that Goten couldn't even know what he felt for that girl. Or herself, for that matter.

"What would you expect me to do? Continue to cheat on you?"

"So now that you admit it," Valese rolled her eyes while crossing her arms in a defensive position.

"I'm really sorry this had to go on for so long," Goten muttered, as he stood up from the picnic site and started to walk away.

He knew that was probably the worst thing to do in this scenario. But what else is there that he was supposed to do? He broke up with Valese, but he wasn't sure if he should feel good about it or not. It never felt good to leave the other one hanging, on the other hand.


	20. What Is Love? Baby Don't Hurt Me

**Chapter 20**

**~~ Just a quick author's note; we're halfway done the story, folks! I really hope that you enjoyed this story thus far :) **

**And please, please, please review! Even if they are constructive criticisms! I want to be a better writer in the future, so it would help be greatly if you did so! Thanks ;) ~~**

"What does love feel like?" Bulla asked, somewhat daydreaming and somewhat paying attention to her mother – who was desperate to catch up with her life in one way or another.

Apparently, the best way for mothers and daughters to bond was to bake delicious goods, drink tea and either sewing or knitting. Talk about 15th century, stereotype that was completely eradicated years ago.

Bulma was surprised to say the least that her youngest child wanted to know what love felt like. Just what did she mean by love? Did she fall infatuated with a certain young man, or did she just want to get an idea of it before she found one?

"What do you mean? Does that mean that you've fallen over heals for somebody?" Bulma winked, implying that her daughter had indeed found a certain boy that she liked. But at the same time, the former Capsule Corp chairwoman was joking, and somewhat seen the reaction of Bulla before hand.

Bulla, feeling entirely embarrassed and surprised of this accusation, felt herself growing warm inside. She knew that she was blushing, but Bulla didn't know how to stop it from growing too obvious that her mom hit a mark.

However, deep inside, Bulla herself was in love with Goten, but didn't want anyone else to know – so this called for plan b: lying.

She had a fortunate talent of getting away with petty things such as lying, manipulating, etc. You may even call Bulla a brat, which was true in some cases when she was younger.

"I'm not in love with anyone, Mom," Bulla shook her head in frustration, proving her mother that she was not capable of finding love with someone else. But secretly, Bulla did love Goten so this was just for appearances.

"Then explain to me how my teenage girl wants to know what love feels like."

Damn Bulma was smart. Bulla didn't exactly have as much intelligence and detection as much as her, but she knew that she was entirely clueless as to what to say next. She hated to say it, but she was speechless. Bulla didn't know what to even say for that remark.

"So I take it you are in love then?"

"Bulla's in love? With who?" Trunks popped in unexpectedly, scoffing in horror as he imagined the sight of his little sister sucking face with some douche bag that would even treat her right.

"None of your business, Trunks," Bulla stared coldly at her older brother, who was currently ravaging through the fridge to find some ice cold beer which he enjoyed a little too much after training sessions.

"It should be my business – you're going after Goten, after all," Trunks replied with as much attitude and coldness as his sister.

"What?" Bulma shrieked, but not in anger. If anything, she was glad to know that Bulla happened to be in love with her best friend's son; Bulma always knew that they belonged together. She could tell that they liked each other a lot, because of the spark in their eyes when they talk to each other. Bulma wasn't stupid and more than anything would she like the two of them to get together. She was so happy in these recent turn of events!

Bulla winced at the tone and the level of her mother's voice. Great. Trunks just had to admit that she was in love with Goten, and now that Bulma knew about it, she was NOT going to leave matters alone. If anything, she was going to push her toward Goten's direction, and Bulla did not want that to happen. She wanted to confront her feelings for him on her own terms and not let her mother do the work for her. Yet, she had to admit that she would need Bulma – she had a lot more experience when it came to boys, and she wondered how her mom and dad got together in the first place...

"Is it really true then?" Trunks narrowed his eyes, ever intent to figure out what his sister was going to say next. He didn't want it to be true that the two of them were dating. Trunks didn't really want to admit it, but he was so over-protective of his sister – he didn't want anything to happen to her. Trunks and God knew how many women that Goten had chased. The whole reason why he didn't want her to date Goten – being his best friend wasn't the problem – was that Goten would hurt her. Intentionally or not.

"It's true," Bulla barely made a sound as she crushed her fists together and looked down ashamedly unto the ground. This was exactly why she couldn't tell anyone – she was afraid of what their reactions might be. Pan was the only person she could trust. Apart from Maron, but that was beside the point.

What was she going to do now that everyone knows about her and Goten? Well, her dad was probably in the know too – since Trunks obviously knew and he probably blabbed it out to Vegeta when they were training.

God knew what Vegeta would do to her now that she was interested in Goten. Actually, she shouldn't even be that scared of him; there were many times when Bulla herself gave Vegeta a run for his money, and to be honest, he was somewhat scared of what Bulla could become. No one should ever mess with Bulla Briefs.

"Why didn't you tell me this before? Oh! I'm so happy! I always knew you and Goten belonged together," Bulma squealed, enclosing her daughter in an ever-lasting hug that could crush basically anyone on the planet.

"Mom," Bulla whined, but not before returning her mom's display of approval.

Besides. Bulma shouldn't be overreacting in the first place – it wasn't like Bulla and Goten were getting married, even though that was Bulma's reaction to. However, who was to say that Bulla DIDN'T want to marry someone as handsome and... sexy and intelligent as Goten?

"Sorry," Bulma apologized, letting Bulla out of the bear-crushing embrace.

When Bulma tended to get excited, she'd usually be so over some pretty frivolous things like Bulla being in love with a boy for the first time. Or even Trunks getting a Master Degree in college – even though he never went to said college. Or even Vegeta saying that he was going to spend more time with her and the kids now! But since only one of those three things had happened, Bulma couldn't help but explode her positive emotions.

"So, tell me all of the details," Bulma leaned forward, determined to know about her daughter's love life.

Bulla couldn't help but feel as though her family was pushing her for every juicy bit of information. Same could also be said for her mom, who was acting like her best friend Pan – wanting to know everything going on between her and Goten. Bulla didn't want to sound harsh, but she shouldn't say anything that would ruin her and Goten's relationship. They just started to admit their feelings for each other after all.

So couldn't Bulla have her privacy? Yet another reason why she should not have told her mother – because she would stick her nose into Bulla's very life as if she was God. And everyone in the family knew that she should have privacy – if she didn't have it, she would IMPLODE with anger and would take it out on the first person she saw.

"This is why I shouldn't have told you," Bulla muttered angrily through her teeth before violently walking towards the stairs, heading to the only safe place where she could keep things to herself without any negative repercussions.

Bulma sighed. She shouldn't have asked that question, in retrospect. She knew that she sounded more like Pan or Maron when she said that, which was probably why Bulla was in an upset mood. Bulma could understand that; when she was a kid, she felt as though her family were interrupting her life, but in the end, Bulma knew that they cared for her. Was that why Bulla was feeling like that? Because she felt that everyone didn't give her enough space? Bulma really didn't mean to intrude on her daughter's private life. Maybe she shouldn't have made it all a big deal, but she couldn't help it – Bulla had finally found a boy. She finally fell in love, or was it?

Look how it turned out with Yamcha, who was Bulma's first boyfriend. They've been together for ten long years, but it all ended abruptly with the Saiyan prince living in her home. Could that happen with Bulla? Could her relationship with Goten last?

Bulma couldn't help but fear for the worst. She always tended to worry about things like this, but in the end, maybe it wouldn't end so bad...

"You look like a beast, scowling like that woman."

"I thought we were on the name-basis, monkey Prince," Bulma huffed as she went to the kitchen to get herself a glass of vodka. Lord knew that she should drink at a time like this, but not enough to get drunk.

"If you should be calling anyone a monkey, it's that low-class idiot Kakarot," Vegeta scoffed, crossing his arms while watching his wife dig through the cupboard to get, whatever the hell it's called. Voka? Vooka? Votka?

"And you've finally decided to quit training to spend more time with little old me? Aww," Bulma smiled as she took a sip out of her glass.

"In your dreams, woman. I just merely came to see what the ruckus with your daughter was all about."

"If anything Vegeta, she's YOUR daughter for now on." He was kidding right? Bulla started to be like Vegeta every day now, and less than Bulma. Didn't he notice the change in her attitude? Apparently, all Saiyans were taught to fight and not notice anything else. So much for them being the smartest fighters in the universe.

"What the hell's going on then?" Vegeta took a seat across his over-stressed wife, nearly spilling the contents of Bulma's drink in the process.

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Bulma knew what Vegeta's reaction would be if he found out that Bulla was dating Goten. He would go OVERLY ballistic at the sight of "Kakarot's son" seeing his daughter the Princess. Bulma wouldn't exactly blame him for being that way for Bulla, but he was the type of person to make situations worse than better at the least. That was why Bulma had to take care of every little situation when Trunks was in school, when he got in trouble Bulma had to go to the school. She had to punish him. Vegeta merely took the physical part by over-training his son. Sometimes, she even wondered how he cut out to be a parent.

"Why not?"

"It's just girl stuff, don't worry."

"You're lying, woman. I could hear the damn noise from inside the Gravity Room."

"You're the one who's lying, Vegeta," Bulma growled, "you can't possibly hear that far away. I made the GR positively noise-resistant. You insisted, remember?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes; how could he have forgotten the time when that woman nearly destroyed his ears with that "party" they were having twenty years ago. The music, as she called it, was so damn high that he demanded her to fix the GR at once. Therefore, no more parties were held at Capsule Corp after that – unless they wanted to get on Vegeta's bad side.

"And spying on people's conversation is not good manners."

"I wasn't spying on you!"

"Oh? Then what were you doing then? Just happened to come across us?"

"Calm down, Bulma. I simply didn't hear much at all."

"Good. Then this discussion is over."

Vegeta scowled. He knew that his wife was one of the most stubborn people he ever met on this fucking planet. He knew that she wouldn't reveal anything worthwhile, since she tended to enjoy keeping secrets. But, he was going to be the one that changed all that...


	21. Falling In Love Once Then Twice

**Chapter 21**

It may come to your attention if your first thought of Bulla Briefs would be something like this: "What's your deal, girl?"

People in her life would tend to notice her changes in her behavior, and this could be one of those times. Pan, for example.

When Bulla first asked her to hang out with her, she sounded quite exuberant, happy, joyful and had a lot on her mind that she wanted to tell her best friend. Pan had first suspected that she got together with Goten and wanted to spill the details. She knew the kind of person Bulla was – she was the type of person to literally spill things out of her mouth when she enjoyed or loved something too much. But this was not the case, because Pan always knew that Bulla was in love with Goten. And she knew that Goten was in love with her, but the two of them were too stubborn to admit it to themselves, yet alone each other. But Pan was about to change all that.

"Do we really have to stay in the sun much longer? I feel like I'm going to go mad with the heat," Pan moaned, raising a hand to her forehead to check if she actually was going to go mad.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad out," Bulla replied sassy, as she put on more sunscreen on her friend's shoulders.

Currently, Bulla didn't know whether or not this was actually a good time to go to the beach to tan, swim and do other unmentionable things that would risk getting into trouble with the family. But she was in dire need of a good friend to spill her romantic troubles to – even if said friend in question knew about the feelings she had for Goten.

She knew that Pan was suspicious of her suddenly cheery mood, but how could she not be? Bulla was in love for the first time in her life, so shouldn't she get a taste of love from her friend? Well, now that she thought about it, Bulla didn't exactly blame Pan that the one SHE was chasing after only fell in love with another girl – so she was sympathetic with Pan in that aspect.

"Really? Then you must have an air conditioner in that body of yours," Pan rolled her eyes in retaliation as she flipped unto her stomach to let the sun sink into her recently-applied sunscreen skin. "I have to admit though, the sun feels nice."

"This is coming from the girl that said she was going to go insane," Bulla giggled.

"A girl can't change her mind? I haven't heard of that new rule."

If there was one thing that could cheer Bulla up, or be inspired to, was Pan's sarcastic remarks. Even though she could be deadly serious at times, she could still find the ability to make Bulla laugh as soon as possible – because let's face it; Bulla had been in need of laughter lately, and what better than to not get it from Pan?

"If only there was a law to only fall in love with someone that will love you back," Bulla sighed heavily, eying the ocean in a dream-appearing like state – quite obvious that she was daydreaming of the day that Goten would tell her that he loved her. She had to admit those were the words that any girl should hear from her boyfriend sooner or later.

"Speaking of," Pan trailed off, hoping to hear said "I love Goten" slip out of her friend's mouth. If she could get Bulla to admit that she loved him, then Pan would proceed unto the next step of the plan...

"What? What did I say?"

"You were about to say..."

"Oh stop it, you know how much I like him, but I'm not IN love with him," Bulla shoved her friend jokingly as she took a sip out of her ice tea that she had bought ten minutes ago.

_That's where you are wrong,_ Pan thought to herself as she suspiciously glanced at Bulla readjusting the bandeau top of her lime-green bikini so her boobs wouldn't hang out. She tried telling Bulla to get herself a new swimsuit, but apparently the stubborn pride comes from the family and Bulla ignored all suggestions.

Pan wasn't stupid. She couldn't be fooled by anyone. And by anyone's standards, she was smart enough to see through anyone's lies. One of the most annoying pet peeves she had, was that people had to lie to her – even if they were protecting her from the truth. But this time, Pan just had to know. If Bulla ever wanted to be with Goten, then Pan had to know how Bulla really felt about Goten. At least she admitted she really liked him. But now what?

"Really? That's like saying I'm not in love with Trunks," Pan said sarcastically, slightly frustrated that her best friend had to be stubborn about her feelings for a certain Saiyan.

"So you're saying that you love Trunks?"

"Don't put words in my mouth, Bulls."

"Then what are you really saying?"

"I'm saying that you should tell Goten on how you really feel," Pan knew what Bulla was doing – she was trying to get off the subject and move it unto Pan. She knew that she could feel flattered about talking of HER love life, but she wanted to focus more on other people than on herself at times. This was definitely one of those times.

Bulla knew that Pan was going to switch the current object of topic back to her. She wanted to say something to defend herself, but no words could be spoken out of her lips because it was true. She loved Goten, why deny it anymore? She already told herself this on numerous occasions, yet this felt like it was the first time to say it.

And if she said it to Goten, would he say it back? Did he actually have feelings for her in that way? But Bulla didn't know for certain. She was too scared to think of the possibilities of what Goten would do if she said I love you to him. But didn't he say that he wanted to be in a relationship with her? Yeah, that's true, but that didn't mean he loved her did he?

To Bulla Briefs, this was all too confusing. All the drama that had happened in the past few months suddenly felt as though it was too much to handle. Well, she hardly ever faced such a predicament before, but you know what they say: love triumphs all. At least that was how she said it.

Anyway, the point was that she hated most drama that revolved around the most stupid of things. She saw reality shows – Bulla knew how they worked. Bring drama into the Jersey Shore house and you get paid double time, not to mention more fame. She hated shows like that – people only got on there just to make themselves worthy of being famous by doing stupid things.

This was kind of why she tended to avoid most drama in her life, apart from the fact that she couldn't handle it, was because it would frustrate her and it would annoy her to no end.

"I can't."

"Why? Are you chicken?" Pan smirked, mocking her friend with some chicken noises that gestured the fact that Bulla was too frightened.

"I'm not chicken!"

"Really?" Pan nudged her head to the side as if it were saying that she didn't believe her. Which was true by the way.

"I just...I don't know. What if he doesn't love me back?" Bulla whined, feeling more than self-conscious about her feelings for Goten.

"He loves you Bulla. Didn't he say that he wants to be with you?" Pan felt a small pierce of jealousy running through her veins. She was envious that her friend and her uncle were deeply in love, and that they belonged together. But what about her and Trunks? She knew that they couldn't last, even if they started dating. She knew how much of a womanizer that Trunks was, and she was hardly with any men in her life. They had too much differences, and he always thought of Pan as an annoying little sister. If only Pan could be loved the way that Bulla loved Goten.

"What's wrong, Pan?" Bulla noticed the change of attitude in her friend; she knew what it was. She was upset that Trunks couldn't love her back, and he loved someone else. She was upset that Bulla and Goten would last once they got together officially.

"You should know," Pan muttered before lying her chin down on her hands, watching the ocean from the view she was seeing.

"I can't promise you anything, but I'll see what Trunks really thinks of you," Bulla offered. It was the least she could do for her love-struck friend, who seemed to have little luck to achieving her dream of being with Trunks. If anything, Trunks should appreciate that Pan was in love with him instead of brushing it off like it was a little-girl crush. It wasn't. Pan wasn't a little girl. Neither was Bulla. Why couldn't anyone treat them like adults as of now? They weren't children anymore, so they should be able to handle anything coming their way!

"Thanks, but, I don't want to know anymore."

"Why not?"

"He only thinks of me as a little sister, Bulls. Who would ever love someone like me?" Pan whimpered, starting to feel sorry for herself. She couldn't picture having her first crush on someone to turn out like this. If she had been told that this was going to happen to her, Pan wouldn't fall in love with anyone in the first place. It would save her the trouble of getting her heart broken. Pan was not meant for love.

"Don't even think about feeling sorry for yourself!" Bulla raised her voice, as Pan flinched of the power that Bulla had raised.

"If that's what you keep telling yourself, yes, that's going to happen. But you have to believe in yourself. How do you know if you don't try?"

"That's my point, Bulla. How do you know that Goten would reject you? You don't know if you don't try," Pan persuaded, hoping that her friend would believe her.

Bulla pursed her lips. Truth be told, Pan was right. How could she possibly know what Goten would be thinking or feeling? If he rejected her, she knew there were more boys out there for her to go after. But this was the only man that she had ever loved before, and it would hurt for her to know that he only had a crush on her and not IN love with her.

Would she be able to give up Goten? Would she be able to live without him? Would she be able to love someone else? Bulla didn't know. She didn't know if she planned to know or not if anyone had told her anything regarding the future.

This was hard enough as it was for Bulla Briefs. Falling in love with someone who may or may not feel the same way about you was really difficult. If only she had more experience with boys in her life, then she would be able to tell what they were thinking. Of course, she had her father and brother, but they wouldn't be able to help her. Well, Trunks might, but the point was, Bulla didn't know if she could face this on her own anymore. All she knew for sure was that she preferred to tell her feelings for Goten on her own, and not anyone else to do so for her.

"I don't know, Pan."

"What is this? The first time you fell in love with someone?"

"Uh, yeah," Bulla pointed out, regretting the harsh tone that she said at the end of her sentence.

"Did you think this was going to be easy, Bulla?" Pan questioned her with a skeptical look on her face.

"No," Bulla admitted, shrugging her shoulders in response.

"And I've only been in love twice, and look how I've ended up," Pan continued, sounding somewhat miserable, bitter and sad all the same.

"Who was your first?" Bulla wondered out loud with a surprised look on her face. She didn't know that Pan had loved someone else before moving on to Trunks; Bulla wasn't told by her friend that Pan was in love with a guy, God knows how long ago. Did she prefer to keep it a secret? Did it not work out as Pan had implied? But why didn't Pan tell her?

"It's too embarrassing to say, and no one would have approved anyway."

"Why didn't it work out?"

"Let's just say that we couldn't be together," Pan snapped, not wanting to say anything more.

_No matter what it takes, I'm going to make sure Trunks is going to see how special you are Pan..._


	22. Wrath Of The Sleepy Monster

**Chapter 22**

It turned out in the Briefs family that Bulla was probably one of the most easiest people to read; based on their actions, behavior, their facial expression, etc. Yet none of her dearest family members even bother to call upon their suspicions of said teenaged girl, so Bulla was indeed thankful for that.

It also came to Bulla's attention that they don't tend to go overboard with sneaking into her personal life, which she was also grateful for. Bulla was a very, very private person and she preferred to keep things to herself. Except for people she could really trust, such as Pan.

When people do question her about her life, also known as the media, Bulla would usually give them an annoyed but frightening look and a comment saying that her life is her own business – no one else's. But that rarely happens anymore, so she was glad that she could keep to herself.

Oh, and she knew that holding her feelings to herself was only going to make things worse – bottling them up would eventually lead to a surprising outburst, something that Bulla didn't want to happen any time soon. Only if she wanted to vent out her anger she would do that on her brother, father and Pan. Not on herself.

Anyway, the whole genetics of this didn't come from either parent, but there were some aspects that seem familiar to Vegeta – he was a private man, but only some time or other that he actually confided to talk to his wife.

And it made Bulla think of herself thus far before heading into more intimate details with Goten. What were they now that they've kissed and admitted they liked each other? Did Goten break up with that Valese witch like he said he would? Apparently she had heard from her mom that getting over your first love was probably the worst thing you could go through in your life. So would he feel bad about dumping her then? If that were true, then Bulla and Goten would not be getting together anytime soon. Yet he decided that he liked Bulla more than her and so went to split things apart with Valese. So he couldn't have been that much in love with her.

Call Bulla a cruel bitch if you will, but she couldn't help but feel pleased. You can also call her selfish – which was quite true at times, but Bulla had refused with all her heart and soul that she was not – because she wanted Goten to herself. He was the only man she ever fell truly, deeply in love with. He was the only guy that had to have things in common with. And that made Bulla's comfortable level rise higher and higher when around him.

So what was she to do now? Her mother and her brother knew that they were seeing each other now. Bulla had to admit that Trunks took it way better than she thought it would – unless he was hiding back his true feelings. He was like Vegeta in that way, Bulla supposed. However, that did not shake off the feeling that she was still scared of what could happen in the future. Bulma took it pretty damn well – she was happy that Bulla and Goten would be seeing more of each other. Trunks, well, it was his loss. Bulla had to suspect that he was jealous of her relationship with his best friend because he had not one inch of love in his body – even though he was a nice man at times. She also suspected that he was also angry. She knew that he wouldn't like it if Goten broke her heart, or anything like that. But Bulla didn't even know the true reason why he wasn't likely to approve of the relationship. And what about her father? The Prince of all Saiyans? Hell, she didn't even know if he found out by eavesdropping, or if he found out from Trunks. Hell, she didn't know if he found out period. But Bulla knew that it would be HELL for her if Vegeta knew that his daughter was "mating" with his rival's son. Something that he didn't like period.

Bulla was flattered by all the protective feelings of her family, but she had a feeling deep in her heart if they only felt that way because of the Saiyan blood. Did they really care of her happiness? Or was it because they didn't want Goten to taint a clean, pure soul such as her own? Normally Bulla didn't care what any one else thought, but this time it was different. She hoped that everyone in her family would approve of her love for Goten.

She sighed, but it sounded more like a swoon, as she struggled to close her eyes and fall asleep. Her talk with Pan really tired her out, and it took all of her energy to keep up with the discussion.

Was this what it felt like to give your love for your crush? Did it really tire you out? Bulla didn't care to know. All she wanted to do was sleep until the wee hours of the morning, but she couldn't. Even though she was dead-ass tired, her mind refused to shut down for the evening. She had a lot on her mind that she obviously needed to think about. But there were no answers to be gained from this, so why not close this chapter for now and go to sleep?

Because all she wanted to do was think about Goten.

You'd be surprised if you thought that Saiyans were amazingly good sleepers. That they would get enough rest to fulfill their energy for the next day. But this didn't seem to be the case. At least, for Bulla.

She had the worst night of her life. She could hardly ever sleep before waking up from a horrid nightmare or a panic attack type dream. Trying to sleep was like flying around the world in less than one second. It was impossible. It couldn't be done.

And since Bulla did not have enough rest, she tended to be REALLY cranky, tired, dozy and well, angry. Even if no one did or say anything, Bulla wanted to give into the urge of picking a fight with her loved ones. Which was why her parents set a reasonable curfew for her every night, since the first time they found the side effects of lack of sleep when she was seven and a half.

Also quite shockingly, there were no cures as to help relieve Bulla of her condition. Medicines never even worked, and neither did food (surprised, surprised). Instead, her family just left her alone until she felt better. Even fighting couldn't do any justice. When Bulla had one of her mood swings, it was clearly best to stay away. And people always told her that she was like her darling mother.

"So the monster is awake, is she?" Trunks scoffed, not exactly fearing the little sister he did once be afraid of as he entered the kitchen with a bunch of empty plates in his hands.

Bulla narrowed and rolled her eyes, trying so hard to not insult the shit out of her brother. She also rubbed her temples with her fingers, also attempting to rid the sore headache that plagued her mind most of the morning. Which could count as another reason as to why she was not in the greatest of moods.

"Take a look in the mirror – then you'd know what you're talking about."

"You might want to take it easy, Bulls before you know, everyone is running away from you. Including Goten," Trunks smirked, but instantly regretted it when a plate was furiously and quickly thrown towards his face, so he dodged it at the very last second.

"And you could also control that temper. Boys don't like it if you spaz out all the time," Trunks gave his final piece of advice before heading back to his room, to God knows what he was doing.

Bulla screeched in frustration. Why did everyone want to pick on her? Just because she was the youngest? And to make things not any better, Trunks had to remind her of her boyfriend. And he had to give her advice as to what boys actually like in a girl. To be honest, Bulla kind of wondered if he was actually right.

Would Goten be able to put up with the beast that Bulla had hidden most of the time? Would he be able to be patient with her if she was more than happy to pick a fight with anyone in her path? Would that impress him? She didn't think so, but it did leave a question mark on her heart. Just waiting to be answered.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Bulma walked slowly but graciously into the room, eying her daughter who was currently slouching on her chair.

"Are you having boy troubles?"

Bulla didn't answer because it was true. Yet answering about the whole fiasco didn't exactly help the matter either. She just wished that everyone would just leave her alone.

"Kind of," Bulla answered truthfully, but kept the angst and anger in her voice.

"Why didn't you say anything? I still would have helped you, you know," Bulma smiled, taking a seat in front of her little girl – who still looked as though her world has crumbled down.

"Yeah," Bulla managed to pull off a small smile – saying that she got what her mom was trying to say.

"So tell me, what's the deal with Goten?"

"I don't know what's happening with him," Bulla lied, pulling off an uninterested expression on her pale face. Of course, she didn't know what her mom would say if Bulla said that she pretty much stole a girl's boyfriend away from her; would she not be happy about this development? Would she not approve of Bulla's man-getting ways? Did she even know?

Bulma raised an eyebrow in disbelief. She had heard this story plenty of times, and she had no idea why her daughter still lied about these types of things. Maybe she didn't want her to know?

"Okay, he still hasn't called me like he said he would," Bulla scoffed, deciding to tell the truth for once.

"When was the last time you've seen him?"

"A couple of days ago. He said he had... unfinished business to take care of, but I still don't know when that's going to be over and done with," Bulla replied frustratingly.

"Honey, give Goten some time. Who knows maybe he's training with his father?"

"So you're saying that fighting is more important than me?" In retrospect, Bulla should not have asked that question. One, because she knew that Bulma was unable to answer that. Well, she could say no since she wasn't a fighter at all, but if Bulla asked that to her dad and brother, they would get suspicious immediately. Were all Saiyans paranoid? Apparently so, so she couldn't exactly say she wasn't.

"No! I'm just saying that this is typical boy behavior."

"Are you saying that he lied to me?"

"No, what I'm saying is that don't always believe what they're telling you, but don't get snoopy and say anything that would drive them away."

Bulla wanted to laugh at that statement. So her mom advised her to be in a passive relationship where Goten wanted to take the reigns. Yet she knew that Bulma was the one in charge in her parents' relationship.

"Look. I've known Goku for all my life, and trust me – he hardly ever tells anyone where he's heading. Maybe Goten -"

"No, stop, I get it," Bulla interrupted. She knew this would make her feel better, but it somehow didn't. She just wanted Goten to call, damn it! Or even better, she could even call him. Why let Goten be the one in charge when SHE could do the job just as well?

Bulla smirked. Her experiment was going to end up with pretty interesting results.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

**~~ I had a different idea for this chapter, but that would mean ruining the rest of the story. I was kind of desperate to have some dialogue going, so why not a mother/daughter chat? Don't worry, there's going to be some Goten and Bulla coming on soon ;) ~~**


	23. Tendency To Obsess

**Chapter 23**

Well, it looked like Bulla had a new pet peeve – boys acting hot and cold. This irritated her to no end, and it annoyed her that they haven't tried to patch things up with her. Especially Goten. It seemed like he was avoiding her for some strange reason, but Bulla couldn't tell what the hell was wrong with that boy's mind. Whatever happened to a simple phone call nowadays? Were they just lazy, or didn't they have any class?

Bulla growled out in frustration as she punched the nearest wall in complete anger. This was exactly why she shouldn't fall in love with a boy – they always ended up breaking their promises.

Was she overreacting? Was this completely normal for her to act? This was her first relationship, so Bulla had to figure that she wasn't being obsessive or controlling or anything for the matter.

Unknowingly, her phone was buzzing – meaning that she had a text message, but that could mean that it was buzzing all day.

When Bulla was upset, she tended to forget everything on her mind at times to do some training or shopping; and not talking on her phone or any other piece of technology that could NOT distract her from her troubles. Her cell phone being the one of them.

Beads of sweat rain down Bulla's pale cheekbones as she breathed in heavily – the usual results of her training. She was somewhat obsessed of losing some weight to appear more appealing to Goten – which was the first thing that came to mind when she found out that he didn't call her as of yet, but then realized that she was thin enough as it was.

"Oh what the heck, who's calling me now?" Bulla asked herself, heading straight to her purse where her cell phone was currently residing.

Even though she had finished off her training with her brother, she was still annoyed that someone had the nerve to talk to her right now. She didn't want to talk to anybody at the moment and instead wanted to release her stress by fighting. Although hurting yourself wasn't exactly feeling so good.

But Bulla's opinion was disintegrated the moment when she saw the calling history of her phone. So Goten did call! She nearly swooned. She knew that he would come to his senses! After all, how could he possibly resist the lovely Bulla Briefs? Okay, she may have sounded extremely cocky, but it was true. This was the only boy who COULD put up with that type of sassiness. And that made Bulla want to change her attitude towards life even more. But did that mean losing pieces of herself? Did she really want to invest all her emotions into this guy? Yes, she had doubts of that before and so she had made a pros and cons list. In the end, she decided there were more good things about dating Goten than there were bad. Thus, you knew what happened next. But that was two weeks ago! How could Bulla still have doubts about this relationship?

Before Bulla could even think more of the matter, her phone once again rang. Only it was to the tune "Edge of Glory" by Lady GaGa.

"Hello?" Bulla answered, sounding slightly irritated that someone had to butt into her life once more. But she couldn't blame herself that she had problems now, could she?

"Bulla?"

"Oops, sorry Goten," Bulla apologized, while trying to control her reddening blush from forming on her cheeks.

"No, it's okay."

"So what's up?" Bulla asked, wanting to get straight to the point. She always hated the pointless chatter that ensued when on the phone, and that was another thing that pissed her off even more – she didn't quite know what they were going to talk about.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to dinner tonight, you know, as more than friends."

Bulla could feel her heart leaping for joy as Goten explained his intentions. She felt as though she was frozen in time! Could he really be ready for them to date? Bulla hoped that he wasn't lying to her, although she could tell if he was...

"Sure!" Bulla squealed louder than she intended to, which made Goten on the other end of the phone laugh. But then she somewhat laughed too, but Bulla felt just plain embarrassed for doing such an inappropriate thing. Wait. Since when did she think that squealing like a pig was inappropriate? She never defined which was good and what was bad. Well, she could blame it on nerves – this was her first boyfriend after all.

"Great, I'll pick you up at seven."

"Uh..."

"Wait. Your dad's still there isn't he? And Trunks too, I presume?"

"Yeah, maybe it'll be a good idea if we just meet up," Bulla proposed, somewhat panicking at the idea of her father and brother torturing the daylights out of Goten for even considering taking Bulla out on a dinner date.

"Okay, I'll see you at Piazolla's?"

"That sounds good."

"Bye..."

Bulla felt as though her whole world was soaring. She felt incredibly good to say what she wanted to say, but at the same time, it felt as though she had no effect on him. But why did he sound so... unsure of himself? Was it because he was nervous around Bulla as well?

Well it didn't matter. Because now, she was about to become even happier once she'll finally tell Goten that she loves him...

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

~~**I know this chapter was kind of short, but trust me – it's going to get GOOD in the next one. **

**Sometimes, I feel inspired to write a LONG chapter, but there are times (such as this one) when I just want to get straight to the point (I'm not being lazy, by the way). And there are times when I wonder if I really should keep this story going. But I know I have to because if I don't, all my reviewers are going to form a gangbang and literally KILL me because I took down a good story for them.**

**So I appreciate all the reviews, author/story/favourite story alerts! It really makes my day :D ~~**


	24. Perfect Paradise Under The Stars

**Chapter 24**

**~~ Just a quick author's note – I won't be able to update the next few chapters for a while; and I really am feeling sad. I'm sorry but I just have final exams, and luckily, I only have to write 2 but I'm going to be REALLY busy this summer. But I PROMISE I'll try to update as soon as I can. Thanks for everything guys! ~~**

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

"I loved dinner tonight, Goten, so thank you," Bulla cuddled closer to her new boyfriend, trying to warm her frozen body with his own masculine, abnormal boy heat.

Everything had been absolute paradise even though there had been awkward or not so perfect moments. To Bulla, it just made it even more perfect.

Currently, they were lying down under the stars, a rare sight to see if you lived in a large urban area like the city.

It seemed to the both of them that their situation together as of now made it more sentimental and silent as they did nothing but watch the stars glow brightly in the midnight blue sky. The wind was surprisingly cold and harsh, but that didn't stop the two of them from enjoying an otherwise perfect night. It was their first date officially, and there was nothing that either of them would prefer to be doing. Even though the cold was damn unbearable and Bulla could swear that she felt every part of her body going numb, but it was worth it. Every moment was worth it.

"But I love being with you even more," Bulla continued, still feeling the blasts of chill shiver down her spine; her body was asking and asking if this was even worth going through, but her mind and soul knew better. She would do anything for Goten. She would put all her heart and its feelings for him. Hell, Bulla could even admit that she loved him. Now that was what she wouldn't regret. Unless he didn't return her love.

"I think you're... bearable to be around," Goten chuckled; he was not the only person thinking what the future would be like with each other around. He could even tell her that he had strong, strong feelings for Bulla. But were they love? How come he had to start doubting himself all of a sudden?

"You lie," Bulla smacked him in the face playfully before wrapping her petite and pale arms around his torso, rubbing his body against hers.

"Okay, okay, I admit it – you're so beautiful."

"And?" Bulla interrupted, egging him on to finish off the sentence.

"And I love to be around you."

"And?"

"You're always on my mind," Goten admitted, clearly wondering what Bulla would say to that. Of course what he just said was not a lie – it was the truth. He always had his girlfriend on his mind, even when he was still seeing Valese. And Goten had to admit it that it felt so darn good letting her go. When he was with her, it felt as though Mjolnir was crushing his soul – preventing him from any chances of escape. Now that the legendary hammer was gone, well, it felt as though he was floating to heaven. With Bulla by his side now of course.

"And you're always on my mind," Bulla laughed for a few mere seconds before shivering her ass of once again. And she hoped that it was going to be a gorgeous night for confessing their love to each other. But so far it didn't happen yet. And she wanted it to happen pretty soon.

"I can never truly understand why you're freezing to death, Bulla," Goten whispered gruffly, which somewhat made Bulla instantly fall in love with his voice. And she wondered what else could come out of his entrancing lips...

"I think I know something that can warm me up," Bulla wiggled her eyebrows upward, seeing if Goten could figure out what she was trying to insinuate.

"I know something even better."

Bulla and Goten just... exchanged loving looks in each other's eyes... Brown eyes meeting sky blue ones. A perfect match. A mated match.

It seemed to be eternity before any actual moves were made; Bulla, feeling bold and fearless, moved in closer and closer towards Goten's face – breathing in and out through her lips. The air was surprisingly warm and her minty breath felt good on Goten's epidermis as he wrapped a hand behind her neck like a snake and then kissed her. Slowly. Passionately. The kind of kisses that made Bulla swoon and melt from the inside. The kind that she loved the most.

She didn't want him to end it, but she had to regretfully admit that they had to fill their lungs with air. The thing about kissing Goten was that she craved him more and more like a new drug that was being tested. Kissing Goten was like locking lips with a God – a deity wanting to be worshiped. And Bulla was always willing to worship the mighty and powerful God Goten... And she would be his Goddess.

"What's wrong?" Goten frowned, noticing the red flush appearing on his new girlfriend's cheeks.

Any girl would feel special and one of a kind if a guy asked them what the problem was, but not for Bulla. Instead of feeling like a prized possession, she felt embarrassed. She felt embarrassed she had to look like she came out of Zombieland. Bulla felt terribly embarrassed that she was turning red all the same. She just didn't want any man to worry about her – not even in her own family.

Bulla bit her lip deep in thought. Was it kind of wrong to feel all sorts of things at once? Like she just wanted to grab a hold of him and... NO! She shook her head, trying to clear out the naughty thoughts that she had dreamed of him ever since that life-changing epiphany a few months back.

"No, why would there be? Asides from the cold and I can't get up," Bulla joked.

"Then why didn't you say so? We didn't have to come out here you know."

"Can you really blame a girl for wanting to watch the stars?" Bulla fluttered her eyelashes, in hopes to make her boyfriend agree with her. At least now he's focused on something more important.

Before he could say anything in retaliation, she screamed in adrenaline and in happiness as Goten carried her into his arms – protectively and they were gentle too, which made it all the better.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere... a little more comfortable," Goten flirtatiously sent a combination of a wink and a smile, causing Bulla to become totally hypnotized of his presence and not to mention speechless.

Did he always do that to every girlfriend?

**:3 :3 :# :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

**~~ Sorry I had to leave it off there, but I think this story is going to be put on Hiatus for a while. I had a lot going on for it, but then it didn't seem right when I wrote it on paper. Please don't hate me, I'll try and update soon... ~~**


	25. Man To Man And Girl To Girl Talks

**Chapter 25**

It's amazing how a human being reacts when being in love. It's amazing how they can still be astonished and feeling different types of emotions while falling in love with someone that they may never even thought they would have feelings for. Goten seemed to be one of those people. And it was amazing how much time it took for Goten to fall in love with a beautiful woman with luscious ocean eyes and heavenly combed cerulean hair. It's also amazing that someone of Goten's stature fell in love with said woman because of her personality. She made him laugh plenty of times on their first date, and Goten wouldn't give that memory up for the world. It melted his heart that Bulla would go through such a thing – intentionally or not.

"Okay, what the hell's going on with you?" Trunks' voice asked suspiciously, interrupting Goten's daydreams of his new girlfriend. Goten himself couldn't tell whether or not that it was a good thing.

"What do you mean?" He replied innocently as he watched his best friend since childhood roll his eyes in complete disarray.

"And you called me to hang out," Trunks muttered before heading back to the kitchen to grab himself a drink.

What did Goten take him for? Did he really think there was nothing wrong with his behavior, yet alone physical appearance? Trunks suspected that something had vexed him – why else would he appear to be someone else? At first, Trunks wondered if something horrible happened to his family and was trying to play it off. But now, it was obviously not the case. Since this had happened for a couple of weeks, Trunks became much more aware of Goten's movements. He knew that he had to get to the bottom of this. What made him so jittery? Did he break up with his girlfriend? If that were the case – the one that probably made the most sense – then no wonder the guy was so happy.

"What's the matter with you?" Goten commented as Trunks stared at him with a suspiciously angry look in his eyes.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out with you, Goten," Trunks rolled his deep blue eyes in retaliation before sitting next to him on the couch.

Normally, best friends wouldn't share awkward silences – there were always things to talk about, things to do, things to see, etc. Not once in Trunks life did he recall that he and Goten had an awkward rough patch, but this time he inwardly admitted it. This time was different. Neither one of them were saying anything, which came to a surprise to Trunks – his friend was usually the one to start conversation. Which came to the theory of him being possessed with something.

"What are you talking about?" Goten finally wondered out loud, ignoring the past awkward moments behind him.

"See? You're acting all weird and I want to know what's up with you."

The true reason of Goten's behavior was because Bulla had made him happier more than Valese had in their time together. The true reason was because he couldn't stop thinking about the way her hips move in an intense motion... the way her lips curved upward in a gorgeous half-smile...

Talking about Trunks' sister in an intimate way was a bad idea; Goten even pondered to himself if he even knew that he was thinking of her. Did Trunks even know that Goten was falling more in love with Bulla every damn second? Did he even know that Bulla must be returning his feelings? If he didn't, no wonder Goten wasn't expecting a pounding coming from him.

But what could he tell him? What could he tell his closest friend from childhood? They have developed psychic-like powers, so it would be incredibly difficult trying to even lie to him. Trunks would figure it out – he was a smart guy and he's the chairman of Capsule Corp for a reason.

Then Goten thought about his break-up with Valese. To most of the world, it would qualify as good news, and even HE saw that. He knew that she wasn't the most easiest person to deal with at times, and that everyone else did too. So if Goten told Trunks about his relationship with Valese falling apart, then he could save his own relationship with Bulla. It would make sense that he had to lie to Trunks, but he had this sixth sense telling him that he would eventually find out.

"It's Valese," Goten admitted as he felt a "fake" weight lifting from his shoulders.

"What about her?"

"We're going through... a bit of a fight," He lied, feeling his heart pound from the rush of adrenaline that Goten was feeling. He hardly ever lied to anyone, and he wondered if Trunks believed him.

"When did this go on?"

"A week ago."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Are you still talking to each other? Are you still together?"

"We haven't been talking much," Goten said truthfully. It was true. Since the two of them separated, there weren't any phone calls or text messages saying that he/she wanted to hang out as friends to get past the awkwardness. But Goten had a feeling that it would never go away. He also had a feeling that she would be still angry at him for breaking things off. But why should he feel guilty? He did what he thought was right. He wanted to be with Bulla, and Goten knew that he was willing to take the risk of getting caught being with her. Besides; what's the worst that could happen?

"Do you love her?"

"Not anymore," Trunks raised his eyebrow in a confusing motion at this statement. At first, he was willing to believe that Goten still had a thing for his ex, but now he was getting more suspicious of what he was saying.

"Then what's the problem?"

"I feel guilty breaking up with her, that's the problem," Goten blabbered frustratingly but he didn't glance his friend in the eyeballs.

"Wait. So you mean to tell me you broke up with that Valese bitch and you feel guilty about it? Sometimes I think you're too nice, Goten."

"So what's going on between you and Goten, Bulls?" Pan asked curiously, but secretly amused that her love live was less complicated than her best friend's.

"We just went out for a few dates the last couple of weeks," Bulla admitted, lifting a huge weight that was crushing her.

"Did you guys kiss?" Pan mocked her friend, somewhat snorting and somewhat giggling.

Bulla rolled her eyes. Of course she had to give it to Pan to knock into her personal life and say something like that. Not that she was surprised, but she even wondered why she was even friends with her again.

"Even on the cell phone I can tell you're love-sick about him," Pan chuckled again before leaving a chance for Bulla to think of a response.

"Even on the cell phone I can tell you're love-sick about Trunks."

"That's not the point! The point is, when are you going to tell Goten that you love him?"

To be honest, Bulla still had no idea when she was supposed to do it. She always assumed that boys said it first – not girls. There were times when she was so damn close into telling Goten that she loved him, but to a stupid convenience, she never got the chance. And there were other times when Bulla just couldn't say anything – since she was divulging in Goten's handsome physique when they were just at the beach last week.

She was too nervous to even say it now; Bulla had no clue how to say it right, and she didn't plan to. But right now, it was like Pan was pressuring her into telling her just a lie to get her off her back.

Just to get one thing straight, Bulla hated lying to people, and she hated people lying to her in return. It wasn't something she tolerated a lot of the time.

"I don't know."

"And here I thought Goten felt guilty," Pan joked, trying to cheer up her best friend.

"What do you mean?" Bulla replied curiously as she glanced at her fingernails. Ugh. She knew that she had to get a new manicure soon, but it wasn't like Bulla had the time.

For the past couple of weeks, she had been doing nothing but thinking of Goten, what their next date would be and when, etc. Her behavior, unknowingly, had been seen through the rest of the family, but they haven't been questioning it. Yes, she may be acting a little weird, but that was normal for a teenage girl. Right?

"Oh my God! I can't believe you don't even know!"

"Know what?"

"That Goten still has feelings for Valese."

"What? He told me he ended it with her." No. This can't be true. This had to be nothing but a rumour, right? He couldn't possibly be still infatuated with someone like her. Goten wouldn't lie to her, and she wouldn't lie to him. Known fact.

"Whoa, someone sounds possessive."

"We're Saiyans, Pan, it's natural." However, what WASN'T natural was spreading rumours about Bulla and Goten's rocky relationship, and how Goten was still in love with someone else. Someone was completely desperate to say something like that. It wasn't like Bulla believed it.

"Hey! Just calm down. It's not like it's actually true."

"And you told me this because..."

"I just wanted to know what you'd think of it."

As Bulla continued to chat with her best friend on the cell phone, she didn't know that someone was overhearing their conversation. One of the worst things that you could possibly do to make yourself overheard, was leaving the door open. And worse, it wasn't Trunks who was listening. It was Vegeta.


	26. Time To Write A Death Warrant

**Chapter 26**

That was it. That was the final straw. He couldn't take any more of that. He suspected that this was why his young, teenage daughter was behaving rather peculiar. Because she was in love.

Vegeta scoffed at that idea. She was only sixteen years old, and she said she was in love. Personally, he couldn't care that much of who she decided to give her heart to, but this was far, far, far, far, far different.

His anger was going to start boiling. His rage. Everything, including his pride, was going to go haywire. It already had when he heard that name spoken from his daughter's lips. Goten.

He growled. Vegeta didn't know what the hell Bulla ever saw in Kakarot's second brat. He was stupid, he was less into fighting and into more of dating girls, as Trunks had put it. Vegeta knew what kind of boy he was: the type to steal love from a girl and demand more and more until she couldn't take it anymore. Not that he knew that was going to happen to Bulla, but he knew that Goten was not a good match for her.

Because he was on the damn mudball planet of Earth, it was not his choice as to who his children were seeing. It was not his choice to give them arranged marriages, or arranged mates. That didn't go well with Bulma when he told her that he didn't want his flesh and blood seeing people that he did not approve. In the end, Vegeta lost his GR. Don't ask for how long.

Vegeta was not pleased. He didn't even want Goten to be around here anymore, now that he knew what was going on between the two of them. But what did he ever see in her, not that he was insulting is own child, but he was dying to know why Goten wanted to date Bulla. Vegeta did not know if he was the type to use her for money, her looks or anything else relating to her family or herself in general. But since he did NOT approve of them being together, it didn't really matter. Because there was only one thing that he wanted to do to him. Kill him.

Since he had just found out of these turning tables, Vegeta had to consider the possibility of any one else in the household finding out.

"What's wrong with you, Dad?"

Vegeta glanced angrily at his son – who was currently leaning up against the wall drinking a soda and with a wet towel around his neck.

"Nothing of your concern, boy," Vegeta growled at his son before sitting down on the kitchen chair.

"Is it Bulla?"

"What?"

"It's not that hard to figure out – even Mom can sniff you out in a second."

Vegeta rolled his onyx black eyes at this statement. However, he couldn't disagree with him; yes, Bulma was intelligent, but years and years back in time, Vegeta wouldn't have admitted that.

"What do you know?"

"That Bulla's dating my best friend?" Trunks spat out calmly, but Vegeta could tell that his son was also troubled by this piece of information. He wondered if he was just as furious and bloodthirsty as he was right now.

"She says she's in love with him," Vegeta mocked, not in the mood to say any more. Not even his true intentions of what he was going to do to Goten – regardless of his friendship to Trunks.

"What?" If Vegeta thought that he was struggling to overcome his anger, that was a major understatement.

"How'd you find that out?" Trunks asked curiously. "You didn't spy on her did you?" As he asked this, or more like interrogated, he raised his eyebrow in curiosity. Damn it, Vegeta thought that he looked like his mother when he did that.

"Then what did you do?" Vegeta scowled as he took a sip from the energy drink he ravaged from the cooler.

"I was talking to Pan," The eldest child of Vegeta and Bulma shrugged his broad shoulders before making his way to the exit. "and she said that the two of them are in love, no ifs ands or buts about it."

Vegeta was astonished. But he was more angry than surprised of his son's change in behavior. A true Saiyan would not take this kind of news well, and obviously Vegeta didn't. Wasn't he furious that his younger sister was dating his best friend? Or did he really not care of the situation?

"And you're okay with this?"

Trunks was the one who looked surprised. He at least thought that his father would show some respect to his family in terms of dating and all that. But apparently, just because he gave up on the fight didn't mean he gave up on his beliefs. No wonder he was so stubborn.

"Of course I'm not. He's going to break her heart. He had a girlfriend before going after Bulla, so I won't be surprised if she's going to act all gloomy."

"So it seems you don't believe in this love business?"

_What is this, an interrogation?_ Trunks thought to himself. He was starting to grow even more suspicious of his father's behavior; was he actually going to do something about Bulla and Goten's relationship? He better not. It would NOT end well for both Bulla and Goten. Now that he thought about it, the only person who would be affected by this would be Bulla. She'd be more sad than angry that her father butted into her personal life. Thank God that he didn't tell his parents that he was interested in seeing Marron right now... although, he may have second thoughts.

Trunks really didn't know if he was still infatuated with her. Yeah, she's pretty, sweet, smart, independent but he also knew someone that fit all of those qualities. Pan. There were times when he was confused about how he felt about her; maybe more as a friend, or maybe just a little sister. She was feisty, independent and so selfless that it made Trunks really admire her in that way. Yet he didn't know what to do about that. At the same time, he really didn't know what to do about the fact that Marron was also into him. And he also didn't know what to do about the Bulla and Goten spectacle. If it were up to him, he would have NO part of this – no matter how angry he felt for his sister dating someone like Goten. The drama would be too much for him.

"I don't know, Dad, I really don't." And it was the truth. It wasn't like he didn't believe in love, but the fact was, he was secretly hoping to find it someday. There was girls around the world wanting to hook up with him only because of his money and fame. That would hurt the ego far more than it would look like.

"Where do you think you're going, boy?" Vegeta questioned.

"Uh... to the GR?"

"No, you're not. If your mother isn't allowing me in there, you aren't either." For once in Vegeta's life, there were issues far more troublesome and important at hand than training in the GR. Only because he was bitter that he wasn't allowed there temporarily.

"So what's the problem?" Trunks yawned, and it sounded as though he was bored. And he was; he had a lot of things to talk about, mainly the situation with Pan and Marron, and he had a lot of things to do. Sometimes, he even wondered why he devoted half of his time to spend time with his father.

"The problem? Were you not listening to me boy?" Trunks was not the only one that felt frustrated as to why his family even bothered to spend time with him.

"What the heck do you want me to do? Break them up? No. I wouldn't do that to Bulla," Trunks shook his head in anger – trying to make his father see the errors of his ways. He knew what his father was trying to pull him into, but Trunks didn't want any part of it. Not only would there be serious consequences in the end, but he would feel the pain radiating from his sister. Not to mention the angry rage known as his mother. Back when he was a kid, he wouldn't mind doing something like this, but now he matured. He's completely grown up and would always think of the consequences to decisions. Was that why he was chosen to be the Capsule Corp chairman?

After her conversation with Pan, Bulla felt... stressed. She felt more doubtful of her best friend's words and she wondered if what she said actually was true.

Was the rumour of Goten still having feelings for Valese really true? It would sadden her greatly; Bulla didn't have much experience with this type of stuff, and her heart would be dented. She loved Goten and wanted him to be happy. But since he's apparently still in love with Valese, well, it made Bulla question herself. Was she good enough for him? Was he good enough for her? She didn't know. But what she did know was that she had to talk to him about it.

Would it make things better or worse? To be honest with herself, Bulla had to say that this question haunted her for fifteen minutes straight. She was too confused. What was she going to do? Especially if the rumor was true?

Bulla could feel herself starting to tear up. Either they were frustration tears or heartbroken tears, she didn't know.

She hadn't been together with Goten very long and already she felt as though she didn't mean anything to him. The talk with Pan made her realize that. But she had been told that to never believe anything that other people say.

_But it's so hard – it's so hard loving someone when in return they don't love you back,_ Bulla thought as her cries became less than silent.

_Goten, what do you really feel about me?_ Bulla asked herself. Was this her doubt clouding her mind? Was this her conscience taking sides? Did she really believe that she belonged with Goten?

"Bulla, honey?"

"Mom?" Bulla was sort of glad that her mother showed up at the right time. Every once in a while, she had to admit this – her mom knew more about some stuff than Bulla did. Not that Bulla would think like that; she had her pride too.

"What's wrong?"

"I... don't know anymore." It was true. Maybe the real issue was just awaiting to be discovered. Maybe being with Goten wasn't the problem. Maybe... it was something else.

"Is it boy troubles?"

"Maybe."

"I'm sorry, Bulla, I really am. Is there anything I can do... to make things better?"

"What could you have done?"

"I would have done something to make you feel happy."

"I don't know, Mom. I don't know what's running through my head, or Goten's head or even Pan's head."

"What did she say?"

"She said something that made me feel as though I'm in second place," Bulla shrugged her shoulders, trying to calm herself down. Call herself weird, but it actually helped her. Now what was she supposed to do?


	27. Rumour Has It She's The One

**Chapter 27**

"Hey Bulla, is everything okay?" Goten asked sweetly and concernedly as he saw the beautiful maiden before him hesitate to answer him.

When she had called him, wanting to talk about some things, Goten didn't deny her that request. He knew that something was obviously bothering her in the past few days. For one, she was more pale and looked as though she needed to go to the hospital. At first, he actually thought that that was the case, but his instincts told him it wasn't. For two, Bulla had been behaving pretty weirdly. Either she had been daydreaming about something or that she refused to talk to anybody. Goten wanted the first option to be true, but since she had been awfully quiet lately and her eyes didn't hold the same spark of interest they usually did when he and Bulla hung out when they could. Goten wondered if it was something he had done. But he possibly couldn't remember anything that he did that hurt Bulla. They've only been together for a couple of weeks, yet he felt as though Bulla became more distant.

"We need to talk," Bulla stated simply, but Goten could tell that she sounded more disappointed and forlorn than anything else. He could also tell that she was trying her hardest to not cry, and for some reason Goten wanted her to. It was okay to let your emotions bounce every once in a while; Bulla was like Vegeta in that way.

"Would you like to come in? I've just baked some chocolate chip cookies, do -"

"I mean outside, Goten," Bulla harshly spoken, interrupting her boyfriend from tempting her with one of her favourite deserts. She immediately regretted her choice of tone. She hardly ever spoken to anyone with that voice, except occasionally her brother and her dad, but that was beside the point.

"Yeah, sure," Goten replied hesitating. Before he could say anything else though, Bulla left straight on her heels and didn't bother to wait for him. That can only come to one conclusion though: she was angry at him.

He massaged his poor temples and sighed heavily. Goten may as well prepare for the concert that's going to go on, and his head started to slightly hurt.

Bulla wanted to cry right now. She just wanted to let her tears stream down her face; she wanted to not deal with this, but she had to. She wanted to know the truth. They have been together for two weeks and already Bulla felt as though she couldn't trust him. But she still did. What if the rumor was true? What if Goten still loved Valese? She knew what would happen. Her heart would be broken. She wouldn't be able to trust another guy again. Because of what Goten had done. Yet another part of her didn't want to believe it. She loved him, but did she love him that much to forget this? Her mind was slipping and her body was wanting to go insane. Her breathing wasn't calm and it sounded more panicky than it usually would.

But there was another small part of Bulla that felt bitter. She felt more angry of what she had done, and not what Goten felt like. Bulla didn't feel good enough to be with him, no matter what her friends said. Hell, not even Maron even knew. Pan was the only friend she told about her feelings for him, and she was constantly assured that Goten loved her back. And she didn't have to worry about that. Until now.

What was she going to do about this dilemna? Bulla knew it was trying to get to her – to haunt and taunt her about it. To make her turn away from her feelings for Goten and leave to another place far away from him. That was what she felt sometimes: running away when things had turned bad. But would that really fix the problem? Everything had gotten awkward with him since she found out about the rumours a few days ago.

Bulla led Goten to a small clearing in the middle of the forest, and it seemed like the place to confess their love to each other. There were dozens of rainbow flowers growing wildly around the wild grass, the sun was shining down unto the small pond near the clearing and it was a sky blue colour. The wind also announced its appearance and was a good kind of wind – cool but not too cold.

She sat down on the grass, but she had no idea on how to start. What was she supposed to say without saying she was jealous of the situation? Bulla sucked at these types of talks with anybody, and that was ironically one of her fears. She was afraid of what they would say back. Would she really take the risk?

"Bulla?" Goten asked concernedly as he saw that his girlfriend showed a lot more sadness on her beautiful face. It was like she was sending him emotions through instant messaging – he would get caught onto it too. He didn't want her to be depressed. He wanted her to be happy with him.

"Is it true?" Bulla whispered solemnly, still not looking into his eyes. The eyes that she had come to love so much.

"W-what? What are you talking about?"

"The rumors."

"What rumors?" Goten wondered out loud curiously, but he knew that whatever people were saying was affecting Bulla. But he had really no clue as to what she was talking about. He didn't hear anything lately that had anything to do with him and Bulla.

"You haven't heard then? That you still have feelings for her?" Bulla spat out bitterly, finally choosing to glance in Goten's onyx eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Bulla. I only like you," Goten took a hold of Bulla's hands unexpectedly and before Bulla could protest, he kissed her lovingly on the lips; slowly and sweet, which was the type that she loved.

She reciprocated the kiss with as much love as she could devote to it, just so Goten could understand how much she cared about him. If only kisses can last more than one minute...

"I'm sorry. It's just that... Pan has been saying these things to me."

"About what?"

"That you still love Valese."

"You didn't actually believe her, did you?" Goten asked suspiciously.

"It made sense to me that you got up with me not long after you broke up with Valese, Goten. How else would you have wanted me to react?"

"You could have made the decision to talk to me about it."

Bulla stared blankly at her boyfriend. Didn't he understand the pain that she was feeling right now? Even if those rumors weren't true, she still felt kind of sad that she had to hear them. There were reputable sayings as Goten being a womanizer. But was he really?


	28. Move Along

**Chapter 28**

** I am apologizing for the lack of updates lately – I have a personal problem I am dealing with and I have to go to the hospital time to time to get it all sorted out. And also because I was swimming, lying out under the sun working on my tan and because I got a new haircut and dyed my hair! LOL! :) So please enjoy this chapter! **

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

After the discussion with her boyfriend about the drama that had been happening quite recently, Bulla thought she should make it up to him. But how would she be able to do that? It wasn't like he had told her exactly what he loved to do in his spare time.

_Another ex for common sense, _Bulla sighed to herself as she glanced outside her bedroom balcony doors' windows and into the pale, glowing moonlight that shone through them.

Ever since she had talked to Goten, she started to have more doubts of herself. Was she a good enough girlfriend? This was her first relationship, so she could give herself the benefit of the doubt, but unfortunately it didn't give her much self-confidence. This was one situation that didn't come easy to Bulla. She didn't think of any new ideas that could help resolve the tension between her and Goten.

After they just talked about Goten's feelings for Valese, he didn't come off as a comforting, sweet guy as much as she had hoped; he did kind of look hurt and confused, but not angry enough to leave Bulla standing there with a blank look on her face. Instead, he just left her silent and awkward-feeling. Although at the time she hoped that Goten would say something to her to eradicate the weird feelings between them. But there was nothing that happened.

Once again, Bulla knew that this would be another night without any rest. Her mind refused to even acknowledge that thought, since it was too busy thinking about Goten. Her body completely rebelled against her – instead, it wanted to not lie down in bed.

Instead of listening to her instinctive complaints, Bulla felt frustrated and angry. Not only was this the third time this week she refused to sleep anyhow, but she couldn't make herself doing so without doing something drastic. Like over-eating a chocolate sundae when she wasn't supposed to – and let's just say that the results didn't end so well.

_Don't make yourself go through this again, Bulla,_ she told herself reluctantly but not in a very convincing manner. She did not believe herself one bit, yet Bulla didn't know what else she could tell herself. She was pathetic. So much for having the gene of self-confidence.

_Is he worth it? Is he worth all this crying for? _A cold voice shivered through Bulla's mind as it repeated itself over and over again. To be honest, she thought that the voice was right. Was he worth crying every night? Was he the only boy in the world that was good enough for her?

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

You'd think that in the Capsule Corp household, the family members would have a nice, pleasant sleep. You'd think that all the frustrations from the previous month or two would await until morning. And so thus, the next morning, two very dissatisfied people argued at 7:00 in the morning and it started out like this:

"For the last time, Vegeta, her relationship with Goten is none of your concern!" Bulma sighed in heavy frustration as her husband, also angry of this turn of events, sat down, arms crossed and with a very, very pissed off expression on his face.

Bulma, being a highly intelligent woman, knew that Vegeta knew about Bulla and Goten for quite a while. She knew that he would never take anything well when it came to his daughter dating his rival's son. Bulma knew for sure that he cared about Bulla deeply, but rarely shows it, yet at the same time Bulma had a theory that Vegeta cared more about his reputation than his family. But that theory was very very false indeed.

Bulma giggled; the sight of her lover in a bad mood sometimes makes her laugh, and it reminded her of the old days AKA during those three years before Trunks was born.

Before Bulma could indulge herself with some more laughs, Vegeta threw a cold, mean and angry stare in her direction, instantly causing her to stop. She had a feeling that this is one of those days you didn't want to upset Vegeta.

"Why can't you be happy for her? This is her first boyfriend," Bulma persuaded, hoping that Vegeta would take that fact into account.

Vegeta rolled his onyx eyes, wishing that the woman would shut her mouth. She didn't even know what she was talking about, but Vegeta knew. He really didn't care that Goten was Bulla's first boyfriend; there were more trivial things to be worried about. Like the actual thought of Goten WANTING to be with Bulla in a more personal way. He didn't like the fact that Goten was Kakarot's son, and he didn't like the fact that Kakarot himself encouraged their children to be together. At least, that was what Bulma had said less than three hours ago.

Back when the Saiyan empire was still intact, everyone knew that they knew better than to mess around with their rival's children or anyone related to them. It would show weakness, stupidity and pure mockery of the Saiyan laws. Even though Earth was different in most ways, Vegeta still couldn't let go of the rules he had been taught. Therefore, he believed that the world should be run because of what he had been brought up with. After all, he was the Prince of all Saiyans.

"Besides, what's the worst that could happen letting the two of them being together?"

Vegeta didn't even want to think about what would happen, yet alone answer the question. He had a feeling that they would not last long – without any intervention that is.

"Oh, no! You are NOT going to ruin this for my baby girl!" Bulma knew what he was thinking about. He was thinking about ruining his daughter's first relationship with a boy she actually loved. And yes, she could already tell that Bulla was IN love with Goten, and not just a silly old fashioned crush that would not last very long (more likely two years at the least, research has proven).

Vegeta was about to say something in response, but his stubborn wife decided to counteract whatever he had to say.

"I don't care if you don't want them to be together, but ruining our daughter's love for him would ruin her happiness!" Bulma started to lose her patience. There were times when she wondered why she even chose Vegeta as her man, but those times were when they had a heated argument about something completely ridiculous. This is one of those times.

_Apparently the woman told Kakarot that they're a good match. Stupid woman! _Vegeta thought to himself. How the hell are his daughter and Goten a good match? What did they have in common? He knew his daughter was more like Vegeta – sassy, stubborn, smart but Goten, however, could not be classified as intelligent at all. Vegeta knew that he had a reputation as a womanizer (as Bulma corrected him), since he was suspicious of his and Bulla's behavior. And he knew that the worst possible mistake he had done was marrying Bulma – she sniffed out what he was up to and even accused him of spying. Vegeta wouldn't go that low as to do something like that.

"I give up!" Bulma threw her arms impatiently in the air as she rapidly left the room – leaving her husband all alone still feeling angry about the situation.

_What am I ever going to do about him?_

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

"Good morning, honey, did you have a good sleep?" Bulma greeted her youngest child with a genuine smile while secretly hoping that Bulla would not notice how hoarse her throat sounded. Since the HUGE argument with Vegeta, talking was not something that Bulma shouldn't be doing – she was too stubborn to give up a fight to anyone, thus she risked some parts of her health to win. But she really did care about her little girl – she wanted her to be happy. If Goten was the one who could do that, Bulma would instantly welcome the boy into her family if he ever came here once more.

Bulla – who had inherited the genes of intelligence and beauty – knew something was up. She raised her eyebrow in suspicious activity as she heard her mother's hoarse voice. She knew that she had been arguing with Vegeta again, but this time she had no clue as to what was going on this time.

"It was fine," Bulla stated firmly before taking a seat at the dinner table. Bulla wasn't exactly a morning person (one reason being was because half of the night she worried about Goten for some reason) and normally she would be moody. Sometimes she just wanted to trade in her weird routine for something else like she should have been a morning person.

"Good morning, Mom, good morning brat," Trunks snickered to his younger sister as he entered the kitchen.

"Good morning sweetheart," Bulma kissed her son's cheek briefly before letting him sit down at the table beside his sister.

Normally, Trunks wouldn't be the type of person to be embarrassed, but to Bulla it was funny that his face turned red when the mother hen of the family did a display of affection like that.

"Where's Dad?" Trunks inquired, finally noticing one member of the family did not show up at the table awaiting breakfast.

"You know your father – training is all that he usually does these days," Bulma replied as innocent as she could have made it sound. Unfortunately for her, Bulla did not buy into this story.

"Well, he's not there," Trunks pointed out, also noticing that something was up with his mother. Yet he decided to play it safe and not ask any questions. He knew what happened if anyone asked questions – more lying, more harsh outbursts and threats that no one would have a meal in this house again or in Vegeta's case, no GR ever again.

"Mom and Dad had another argument this morning," Bulla piped in.

"We did no such thing; and besides, he's probably out training somewhere," Bulma retorted with as much denial as she possibly mustered up.

Bulla sighed. She had far more troublesome issues to deal with. Goten hadn't called; his behavior had been really getting out of hand. He acted strange when they were on their date, yet Goten didn't even acknowledge it. Or maybe he's busy? Either way, her curiosity rose to a whole new level and so did her obsession. But wasn't it her job to worry about her boyfriend? Or was this more like a creepy obsession? Bulla told herself to relax and calm down. It had only been 3 days since the incident, hasn't it? She should wait. Goten should be the one to make the first move. But what if he didn't have a move to make?


	29. Careless Confrontations Of Love

**Chapter 29**

**~~ Hey guys! Thank you so much for waiting so patiently on the update – I bet you were so excited ;) **

**Anyway, I have a poll up saying what DBZ couple I should work with next – Bulla and Goten or Pan and Trunks: you decide! So please vote :D **

**This story is not even close to being over just yet; there are more surprises in store... ~~**

You'd think that after years and years of falling in love with someone who would not return your feelings, you would give up. If only that principle applied to a certain young maiden named Pan.

Her infatuation was with Trunks Briefs – the current chairman of Capsule Corp. She knew that she couldn't have him; apart from these facts that he would never look at her in that way, he was in love with someone else, or just the plain fact that he was too busy to even give love a chance. Pan knew how much of a womanizer that Trunks was, but she didn't care. It just turned her on that Trunks knew how to please women. But she didn't quite understand why he couldn't stay with anybody for too long. Was it because he hadn't found the one girl in his life that would make him happy?

_Stupid idiot, he'll never feel the same way about you, _Pan thought to herself as she currently waited in her room until her best friend Bulla came over.

Pan was smart; she knew that the two of them were together now – Bulla would instantly start talking about Goten if Pan even asked what was new with her. It was like Bulla was an entirely a different person – but nonetheless, she still wanted her to be happy. Even if they spent a little less time together, which somewhat annoyed Pan a lot. She knew that this was Bulla's first relationship, but couldn't she have more class and hang out with her too?

And yes, she did feel a speck of jealousy; Pan wanted a relationship with someone who would make her happy and feel loved. She wanted whatever Bulla and Goten had, but what were the chances of that happening? She pursued the same guy for over a year now, and to know that there was no chance of her and Trunks happening made everything in her love life worse.

"Pan?" At the sound of her mother's voice, the teenaged girl slowly turned her head to where her mom was currently standing – not even ten feet away from her bedroom door. How long was she standing there, listening to her own kid's misery?

"Phone's for you. It's Bulla," Videl knew there was something up with her daughter. She looked miserable, but how miserable she couldn't say. Videl wanted to question whatever she did as a parent, but at times like these she knew that it didn't have anything to do with her parenting skills.

"Hello?"

"Hey Pan," Bulla's voice said perkily, sounding as though she was exhausted of some sort at the same time.

"What's up?"

"I can't come over to your house today – me and Goten... we just made up in a game of Twister and I'm so tired so maybe you can come over?" Bulla breathed in and out calmly, trying to control her newfound happiness of making up with Goten, which was not easy. First off, he was hard to contact these days and two, she had finally got a phone call from him stating a genuine apology for the way he had been acting since that awkward moment in the park. And thus, the awkward feelings were completely erased between them as they spent more time together.

"Uh, sure," Pan replied slowly, trying not to sound so sad. Or jealous. Maybe even the combination of the two.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Bulla could sense her friend's hesitation; she knew how much of her friend yearned for Trunks, and really, Bulla wanted her to be with Trunks but in fact she was too busy to even acknowledge that fact into deep consideration.

"Other than the fact that I'm lonely and I need company? Nothing," Pan stated. All she could think about was how she was single and not ready to mingle, as people would put it. She desperately wanted to change that status, but what she needed even more was to be with someone to make her happy. And Pan was pretty sure that Trunks would be the perfect person for the job.

"Well, you have me."

"Yes, I always have you."

"Listen, let me do something about Trunks; but listen to me – just be yourself. I think he'll come around."

Pan, starting to feel doubts, somewhat believed her but at the same time Pan didn't think that Bulla was right. Besides – what if he was in love with someone else? Now that was one situation that Pan didn't want to come across in her lifetime. It made her feel like there was something wrong with her in general. But maybe she had to trust Bulla this time; she was calculating, she was smart so why couldn't Bulla be trusted?

"So what time do you want me to come over?"

"Any time, I guess."

Great. Pan was feeling more depressed than anything, yet the thought of Trunks being there at the house was more than enough to make her go to the house. But what if she saw him? What would she say? What would she do? She prayed to the gods that he would be there at least.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

It seemed as though Pan had gotten her wish – which the Kami had decided to grant her with no catches or bribes or anything resulting in a favor. Although, they did not seem to give her an epiphany of any thing for her to say if she did come across Trunks; but that was alright with Pan. It wasn't like she was a crazy, love-struck, puppy who was too introverted for her own good.

Pan, who was nearing the Capsule Corp building, all of a sudden felt nervous and anxious. She just had a feeling that nothing would turn out the way they should be in her opinion, but Pan shook that feeling off; she was just desperate to see Trunks, so it didn't really matter.

Because Pan felt her nerves overtake her, she didn't notice bumping into a muscular chest until the pain made itself quite obvious.

"Ow," Pan winced, her head finally taking most of the hit. She never once was this clumsy, but since she was thinking about Trunks, well, you knew what happened next.

"Are you okay, Pan?" A concerned and extremely sexy masculine voice broke into Pan's concentration – as if just the sound of it would take the pain away.

Pan looked up into the eyes of the man who she had clumsily bumped into; they were the most beautiful blue eyes she had seen in her life, and just by looking at them, Pan could tell that it was her soul mate.

"I'm sorry – I didn't mean to hit you," Pan apologized, secretly trying to fight off the sudden blush which was starting to appear on her cheeks.

Trunks gave an amused smile, which made Pan melt inside just from seeing those precious white pearls of his.

"Don't worry about it; if anything, I should be the one to apologize."

"But why?" Pan couldn't help but ask – it wasn't his fault that they were bumping into each other (literally). Pan was the one who was being clueless to her surroundings. She had never been more embarrassed in her life, as it were.

"If I hadn't been dazing off, you wouldn't have had to deal with the pain," Trunks explained.

"It's not your fault," Pan reassured him, "I was the one who was careless. I was the one who was daydreaming."

"Daydreaming, huh?" Trunks smirked, immediately knowing what his best friend's niece was thinking about. He couldn't help but feel extremely overconfident in his looks; he did receive them from his mom after all, but the fact of a girl just thinking of his interesting physique reassured him that he was better looking than his friend. The two of them had a year-long competition as to who would get the most looks from the ladies – without blowing their covers. Apparently Trunks was now in the lead.

And ever since Bulla had discussed Pan with Trunks and how she felt about him, Trunks couldn't deny the feelings that he had buried within himself for Pan. The only reason why he had to keep them to himself was because he didn't know at the time that Pan liked him in that way too.

And since then, Trunks promised (reluctantly) that he would tell Pan how he felt about her. Luckily, Bulla seemed to believe his words but time would tell whether or not if she was going to pull him in for another chat.

Then there was the whole issue with Marron. Yes, they went out for a little while, but now Trunks had confirmed his feelings for Pan, he knew he had to do something that would not hurt either of them. Trunks cared for Marron, but only as a best friend – he once had a feeling that things wouldn't work out for the both of them but he ignored that feeling. Trunks didn't think that Marron would take the break-up too harshly; she was a really sweet girl who was tough and hardly ever sensitive. The only thing he needed to be worried about was Pan's reaction if he told her.

Pan, who was oblivious to Trunks' thoughts, did nothing more than smile at him back – even though her blush was still tomato red on her face.

"Did I tell you that you have a really beautiful smile?" Trunks complimented truthfully, nearly chuckling when he saw Pan trying to hide it.

"N-no, you didn't," Pan murmured quietly, but just loud enough for Trunks to hear.

"Well, it's true – you should take more confidence in that smile; it really suits you."

"Thank you," Pan flashed Trunks a small, quick smile showing her less-perfect teeth before heading on her way to the door. However, a desperate touch from her secret crush held her back from doing such a duty. She nearly burst out into hives when she felt his strong, supportive hands grasping unto her hand – his touch was enough to make her insane.

"And where are you going in such a hurry?" Trunks smirked, but not letting go of her hand. It felt so delicate and fragile, like a precious rare butterfly, except more beautiful; and he did not want to let go of her. If only he could imagine how the rest of her body felt against his own...

"I promised Bulla I would hang out with her; she's been dying for company," Pan rolled her eyes, finally starting to loosen up against her tense reaction to Trunks holding onto her hand.

"And you spared no expense for me?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Was it just Pan, or was Trunks trying to become much more open and flirtatious with her? Wait... Then that meant –

"I-I have to go," Pan squeezed her hand out of her love's grip too quick to not get a reaction out of Trunks. She immediately slammed open the door, and she burst through the hallway, trying to ask herself what the hell just happened.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

"You have a lot to learn about love," Bulla joked as she opened up a can of Pepsi and sat down across from her best friend who was going through her first hand-holding experience. However, the same can't be said for Trunks who was more likely to be confused about it. But Bulla didn't blame Pan for slamming the door in his face; Pan practically didn't know what to do, and she was desperate to figure it all out.

"What would you have expected me to do? Kiss him?" Pan groaned, still feeling the regret of slamming the door on Trunks' face – rudely – without any other interaction.

"He really likes you, Pan; you just told me that he was begging you to stay with him, even holding your hand is an obvious sign."

"I know, but," Pan trailed off, biting her lower lip as she thought about what she was going to say to her friend; who was more than eager to get more details.

"Trust me, I would know about this stuff."

Pan giggled, "Okay, okay, you don't have to remind us both that you have more than a thing for my uncle."

Bulla also laughed in response; when she had first talked to Pan on the phone, she knew that Pan sounded way too mopey and depressed. However, Bulla knew there was something more than the average I'm-in-love trouble, yet she didn't have the courage to ask her. There would have been an awkward silence; not to mention an unanswered question.

"Speaking of, did you tell Trunks?" Pan asked curiously – she remembered saying she was hanging out with Bulla who was in need of company. Yet Trunks barely had a reaction except saying that he wanted to hang out with her – another sign that Trunks wanted to step things up to the next level.

"No."

"Why not? How long have you and Goten been at it?"

"We've only been together for a week."

"Who else knows?"

Bulla pondered. Her grandparents were much too ditzy to even notice their only granddaughter feeling head-over-heals for a guy; Bulla was excellent in hiding her feelings, and the only person that could figure her out was her mom. And yes, Bulma did know – but whether or not she told Vegeta had evaded her.

"I think just my mom knows."

"You do realize the longer you wait, the harder it will be when you tell them."

Bulla made no effort to respond, yet she knew that Pan was right. She couldn't procrastinate something like this; her family had to know – otherwise, they would try to set her up with some dude that Bulla wouldn't find attractive. Well, to some extent her dad MIGHT do that since he said he had that kind of custom back on planet Vegeta.

"And who knows more about love then I do?" Pan smirked, but not too long after, Bulla threw a pillow straight in her face.

"And how was your date with Goten?"

In retrospect, Pan shouldn't have asked that question – only because she didn't receive an answer; only a Saiyan smirk.

_Narcissist. _


	30. Perverts Run In The Family

**Chapter 30**

**~~ Hey guys! Welcome to another exciting chapter of She Won't Say She's In Love; where the chemistry resides, where the romantic interactions happen and how feelings are reciprocated! :D **

**Actually, this chapter won't be too exciting – it's basically a Bulla and Trunks heart to heart chat (I promise you the next chapter is less boring lol) and how they establish their feelings for Pan and Goten, etc. **

**If anyone wants to see some more Goten and Bulla action – you'll get some next chapter when they are watching their first movie at home together (in secret of course ;) ) And if you are also eager to see A LOT more Pan and Trunks, well, stay tuned and you'll get your wish ;) ~~**

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

Bulla yawned in content as she felt the warm, fuzzy temperature surround her as she calmly stretched her arms in the hot tub outside of the patio. Never once in her life did she feel less stressed than usual; she made up with Goten with a round of Twister (in the literal sense, even though twenty minutes into the game tongues were added in), she spent some much needed time with Pan – which made her feel as though a huge weight had been lifted from her mind.

It was a Sunday night, and nothing could be more perfect than watching the stars from the hot tub – which was begging Bulla to jump into to relax her tense muscles. The awkwardness between her and Goten was gone, and happiness and the feeling of love radiated from the both of them. Bulla couldn't remember the last time she was this happy.

But there were things that she did need to talk about – explaining the situation to her father and her brother. Bulla felt herself tense up with anxiousness and fear at the same time just thinking about what they would do. She usually wasn't afraid of her older brother, but the fact that he was Saiyan as well as she was meant that he would have a different side to him that he never showed anyone, but other than that, how worse could things possibly get? Vegeta.

Bulla groaned, sinking fast into the water, ignoring how hot it was when it crept to her chin.

She knew her father would not take it well at all; because of his enoromous temper he usually had. He would not take kindly to his only daughter to be dating someone he would never approve of. She thought about what his reaction would be plenty of times, yet seeing the actual reaction would be like saying to Goten's parents all the sexual adventures that she and Goten had; embarrassing.

Speaking of, Bulla knew that sex was a normal part of any relationship. However, since she was sixteen and Goten was in his early twenties, the fact that Bulla was a minor would totally stop them from doing it in her room or anywhere else that they could think of. Bulla was frustrated just thinking about not sleeping together, but she knew that she had to wait until she was eighteen. Besides, if her parents found out, they would not take kindly to a boy who would force a young girl to sleep with him; even Bulma would feel anger towards the boy. Even if Bulla wanted to talk this over with Goten, she knew what his answer would be. No. He probably wasn't the only one who dreamed things too erotic and sexy; Bulla had wet dreams of Goten and her doing it after all. But that didn't always give her the right to be the dominant one. It wasn't like they would hurt each other – they were both half-Saiyans.

Bulla sighed. The two of them would eventually have to talk about it, but how much more awkward could it be? She could visualize talking it over with her parents, and that was one conversation she would forget the moment it was over. She knew the general things that they would say to her; STD's, pregnancy, etc.

"Thinking about my best friend again?"

"Trunks! What are you doing here?" Bulla screeched, feeling her face turning red from embarrassment. And yes, it was also embarrassing to know that she was thinking about Goten in an intimate way, which would be way more than awkward if she told Trunks who she was daydreaming about. Not only would there be silence, there would be more drama than Bulla could count. Not that she would tell her brother, but she played with the fantasy a few times.

"What do you think? I was hoping to take a relaxing bathe, but apparently you beat me to it."

"Then hop in," Bulla said hesitatingly, wondering if what Trunks said was true. You can't really read Trunks, nor could you tell what he was going to do next. Apparently Bulla was the only one in the family who actually tried to figure out Trunks' motives.

"So were you thinking about Goten?" Trunks needed to know. He had heard his parents' aggressive conversation the other day, and he was more than curious if the rumor of his sister and best friend are going at it big time.

Bulla blushed. She didn't even want to talk about her relationship with Trunks, out of all people; again, it would make things weird between them.

"I thought so."

"Trust me – you really don't want to know what I'm thinking," Bulla warned her brother, who was now interested in reading his sister's mind in hopes of getting more information.

"Who said I wanted to read your mind?" Trunks was lying, and even Bulla knew that as well. If he wanted answers, it wasn't as if Bulla would give them to him – her relationship with Goten was none of his business. Even though it seemed like Trunks was trying to make it his business.

"I would be kidding you that everything I think of is innocent," Bulla giggled, somewhat thinking what if she told Trunks about her thinking of sleeping with his best friend. Trunks would be turning red with anger, but it would be a funny sight to watch.

"You're a pervert, you know that right?" Trunks smiled. Of course his sister wouldn't be thinking of something that's totally innocent – he knew that Bulla was a sexual deviant looking to get some, but that interest slowly died down for some reason. Bulla did admit it once, but she said that she buried that animistic side long ago and it never once showed up again. Yet Trunks always thought that she was desperate for company, and was dying to date somebody. One year's time really did make a difference.

"Really?" Bulla replied in disbelief, smiling like a Cheshire cat would if it did something it wasn't supposed to do. Like it was guilty.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"From the way you were eying Pan again, I'd say you're the pervert."

"Whatever – you know that I wouldn't try anything on Pan," Trunks retaliated, trying to relax in the bubbles of which the hot tub was creating.

"That's the problem with you, isn't it? You wouldn't try going after her, no matter how much she feels for you."

Trunks couldn't help but feel angry at that comment. He did like Pan in a more than friends way, but did that mean that he should be going after her this soon? Besides, there was the whole Marron issue he needed to take care of and that was the one thing that he didn't tell Bulla about. Only it was because she wouldn't understand – she was in her first relationship already, so she wouldn't know what she was talking about.

"Did you tell her?"

"W-what?"

"I saw you talking to Pan, and not to mention she told me what happened," Bulla snickered; enjoying the thought of her brother feeling flustered over the fact that she had spied on the two of them and their conversation.

"No, I didn't." And to be honest, it wasn't the right time either – the setting was not right, he was technically still with Maron and there was no time to say how he felt.

Bulla rolled her eyes, but she knew that it wasn't the right time either.

"Just ask her out on a date; I'm sure she'll come around."

"And what would you know about dating?"

"I know much more than a womanizer," Bulla replied feisty, letting herself bask in the glorious heat of the hot tub – which was programmed to temperatures normal humans could not stand. How good it is to be a Saiyan.

"I don't know who you're talking about."

"Liar," Bulla grumbled, before deciding quickly to jump out of the hot tub.

However, Trunks wasn't done interrogating her yet even though she had managed to take him off topic with his own love life. Who was she to judge for his own relationships? Yet, he couldn't help but feel overprotective for Bulla. She was his only sister, and yes, he loved her like big brothers should. And he did confront the possibility that she would get hurt emotionally. Not only would that break Bulla's heart, it would break Trunks' – even though he would not admit to being a sweetheart.

After all, his dad did say that love is a weakness. But if that was true, then how did Vegeta tolerate Bulma around?


	31. Matchmaker Of Justice

**Chapter 31**

All Bulla Briefs could really feel right now was the love; she only felt exquisite happiness towards her boyfriend of a couple weeks, and her ever-lasting friendship with Pan. And there was absolutely nothing on Earth that could stop them; not even Kami could intervene. Was it because Bulla felt too confident in her abilities? Perhaps, but who was to say that she wasn't?

Now there was another thing that Bulla had to present to the Gods that she was a really good person; karma. Funny thing about karma was that if you wanted good things to happen to you, you gotta do some good things in return. So now that she and Goten were together, there was another couple that Bulla wanted to be together – Pan and Trunks.

At first, Bulla was a bit skeptical because she knew that Trunks was a womanizer and had no real regard as to staying in a life-long relationship with somebody – yet alone have the concept of love on his mind. But ever since she drew out a friendly brother/sister chat, there were a lot of things that Bulla had managed to pull out of him. She now knew that Trunks liked Pan; but she also knew that Marron had her eye on Trunks for a LONG time. What was a boy to do? Bulla was pretty sure that he would love it if Bulla did all the decisions – trust her, she was that smart.

Now here was the real question – how was she going to hook those two lovebirds up? Bulla knew that Trunks didn't really talk about how much in common he and Pan had, so her first step was to talk to Pan; but how easy would it be? It would be obvious to Pan that Bulla was obviously going to hook her up with her brother, and she might appreciate it. The thing is about Pan, she wanted to make her own decisions and wanted to do things her own way. But look at it this way – if Bulla wasn't going to step in, how much closer would Pan be to gaining Trunks' heart? So of course Pan had to appreciate her best friend's effort. How else was she going to achieve eternal happiness? Bulla was pretty sure that was off of a movie, but she was too buzzed to even think about which one it was from.

Anyhow, Bulla – much like her mother in this aspect – took out her notebook and wrote down simple equations. However, she didn't think that she would have a need for it; many more ideas to get Pan and Trunks together formed in her head in just a few seconds.

The next step was to talk to both of them; what do they like, what would their ideal dream date, etc. To Bulla, the most important step was to figure out if the two had chemistry – there were times when Bulla figured out that even though there were people who loved each other in terms as more than friends, it doesn't always mean that they belong together period – which was why Bulla took the extra precautions necessary to stay with Goten; which was a huge risk on her part in terms of her family.

In Bulla's own words, she had clearly thought more about this subject than she should have, and Bulla was grateful that she was being rewarded for her thoughtfulness. She and Goten were going to be watching a movie; an action thriller (both Bulla and Goten hate chick flicks, and they share a common interest of action movies). And yes, even Bulma was prepared – she was going to be distracting Vegeta for the next couple of hours, so Bulla shouldn't worry about any interruptions – she knew her mom was perfectly capable of taking care of her father.

"Are you sure you have everything ready?" Bulla asked her mom, stepping into the kitchen where Bulma was preparing a LARGE picnic basket. Bulla nearly wretched; picturing the sight of her parents on one of those romantic outings (she had no problem of picturing herself and Goten doing it, but her parents were disgusting to think about).

Bulla couldn't help but feel nervous for a few reasons. One, her dad was the exact type of person to overreact, and that he'd be suspicious as to how Bulma managed to pull him out of the house and out of the GR for an "inconspicuous" day out. Two, Bulla was feeling self-conscious of what she was wearing – what if it wasn't date-worthy material?

"Bulla, trust me – I would know these things; you don't have to worry about your cranky old father busting in on you and your love life, although I understand where you're coming from."

"I don't want to ever tell him; period. Imagine what he would do to Goten," Bulla explained calmly, while her mother nodded in understanding.

"I know what you mean, honey," Bulma said, trying to hide the denial. Of course Bulma knew that Vegeta knew that Goten and Bulla were a couple, but Bulla didn't know that Vegeta knew at all. And Bulma didn't want Bulla to know – which would not turn out too well in the end, and even then Bulma couldn't stop Vegeta from changing his mind.

However, Bulma knew how smart and devious her daughter was; she would be able to figure this out eventually, but imagining how Bulla would take the news was difficult. Bulla was moody, yet she was a nice girl for a Saiyan. So it was kind of hard to tell what she was feeling now and what she will be feeling like in the near-future. But if there was one thing that Bulma knew that will tick off Bulla was that she would be furious at her family for keeping secrets from her; that was one thing that Bulla could not tolerate at all, which was how everyone in the family goes to her first to deliver news.

Fortunately for the both of them, the tension between them was disintegrated when the doorbell rang.

Bulla, suddenly feeling happy that her boyfriend had so graciously arrived to spend time with her, gave a squeal before heading to the front door to escort him in. Meanwhile, Bulma went off to find her stubborn Prince of Saiyans...

"Hey," Bulla greeted flirtatiously, checking her boyfriend from up to down while she "accidentally" flashed Goten her thin strip of stomach which was showing from her lime green tube top.

"Hey yourself," Goten smiled in just as a flirtatious manner as he took in the sight of his beautiful girlfriend, who he had adored for quite a while. He assumed that the longer they spend time together, the more happier that the both of them become; not that he would complain, but it was something he had to observe.

"What are you waiting for, Goten? The movie isn't going to watch itself," Bulla stole a kiss from her handsome boyfriend as she pulled away before Goten could return the kiss and walked away, putting more flirty moves into her strut. Goten chuckled. He absolutely loved it when she was trying to impress him with her model walk, and he couldn't have asked for it any other way.

At first he was a bit skeptical to believe Bulla when she said that no one would be at the house; Goten was wondering if that was just bait to lure him while her family was waiting to interrogate his intentions for dating their precious little girl. Bulla simply giggled and said that her mom was taking care of Vegeta – meaning that neither of them would interfere with their date. But Goten knew that she couldn't hold Vegeta off forever – Goten knew what kind of a bastard that Vegeta would become if he had learned something like this, but nonetheless, he was glad that he wasn't here just the same. And for Trunks? Well, Bulla said that she was planning him (or therefore using him) to go on a date with Pan – which should go well (if it weren't for Bulla, neither of them would have the guts to ask each other out and admit how they like each other).

As the two lovebirds headed to the living room, Goten sat down on the couch and he approved its comfort-ability; but he would love it even more when a certain blunette beauty sat down with him. He yearned to sit near her again; to fawn over her pale but exquisite complexion that made her glow in the sun. He wanted to run his fingers through her nicely combed blue hair that Goten appreciated so much. But most of all, he wanted to kiss those soft, irresistible lips that he had been attracted to. Even her little behind was nice enough to look at; Goten smirked and licked his lips as he watched Bulla bend down just enough for him to sneak in a peek...

"Can't keep your eyes to yourself, much?" Bulla snickered as she switched off the living room lights and went back to the couch with a seductive swing to her hips and lay down beside her boyfriend.

"You're so beautiful – how can I?" Goten replied with as much innocence as he could muster up to convince Bulla how much he liked her.

"Aww, that's so sweet. Too bad I can't say the same for you," Bulla giggled, hoping that Goten wouldn't take too much offense to that.

"You want to make something of it?" Goten raised his black eyebrow as he felt the urge to challenge Bulla of her claim.

Bulla, smart enough to hear the tone of his voice, also raised an eyebrow in a cocky, overconfident way. Deciding to to be bold and brave, she went on her knees and seductively crawled towards her boyfriend, who was more than likely to back out.

When she got close enough to reach his face, without touching any other part of her body, Bulla unwittingly trapped the both of them; meaning that whoever made a move first, the other one could out-do.

It took more than a minute for Bulla to be the one dominant in this relationship; she tilted her head to the side and kissed Goten with as much love and compassion as one would normally kiss their loved one.

Goten, feeling the love, returned it as he slid his tongue into Bulla's cavern and playfully teased her own snake-like tongue with his own. Bulla smirked against his lips; it was so on now. She grabbed Goten's face with her own and pulled his body on top of hers; and pulled away from the kiss. Goten felt confused as to why she would do something like this. Until now – when Bulla started to kiss, lick and suck on Goten's neck; and fortunately for Bulla, she got the response she hoped she would when Goten groaned in pleasure. He knew at that moment that he should let her be the dominant one in this relationship; it really made her more sexy, confident and more mature as to the previous girls in Goten's life.

Goten, wanting to blast up the passion between them, took off his shirt in less than two seconds; letting his girlfriend eye over his impressive, worked out body that he had accomplished over the years.

Bulla had an appreciative eye, and she growled as she saw the impressive display on top of her; he had nicely chiseled abs, and his arm muscles didn't look too bad (at least he didn't do steroids), but his six-pack was what attracted Bulla most. She blushed as more passionate visions filled her head, but she could say she blamed it on the heat.

Goten felt more confident and cocky within himself as Bulla continued to check out his body; it gave him the satisfaction that even Bulla herself had a weakness that she couldn't control.

Deciding to put her out of her misery, he leaned in and kissed her lips roughly, feeling the need to become much more wild and aggressive. Bulla gasped against his advances, but made no move to stop what was happening. She returned the kiss, but not before biting him playfully on his tongue which made him pull back a bit. Giggling, Bulla grabbed the scruff of his neck and passionately kissed his lips but not as rough as Goten had.

If anything, Goten told himself over and over again that he loved it when Bulla tried to put herself as the assertive type; it turned him on millions of times, and this was one time when he couldn't resist her touches...

And so the two of them continued to rip off their clothes in a stroke of passion and lust, and they obviously forgotten their movie, which was silently playing in the background...


	32. CrossDressing Tomboys

**Chapter 32**

**~~ Hey guys! I apologize for not updating recently – I've been on vacation and I felt like I really needed a break from technology (turns out, I think I'll survive without it, LOL!); but I really enjoyed it ;). **

**So here's the deal; the story is going to be over soon (unfortunately) – but I need some more ideas! (I have the ending chapters pretty much planned out) So, will you please send me some? I LOVE to hear what you guys think!**

**Anyways, 71% of my DBZ poll say that you guys want to read a Pan and Trunks DBZ story from me – and trust me; I've got the summary worked out (all I need to do is create a title, and plan out the chapters) but it won't be out for a while. It will probably be out in the fall sometime, so keep an eye out!**

**Speaking of Trunks and Pan, we're gonna have them being the main stars for this chapter (although they're kind of half-and half with Bulla and Goten during their double-date next chapter) **

**And once again, I am so sorry that I didn't update! The other reason was author's block 0_0 ~~**

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

If there really was such thing as a God, or Buddha – or whoever the hell is listening, then Pan would press her hands together and pray. Pray to her guardian angel to give him or her thanks in the most joyful and grateful manner.

Pan was also wondering if her wish on that shooting star a couple months ago had anything to do with this, and if it did, Pan would be wishing a lot more often. Especially now that she had a phone call. From Him.

Pan squealed in delight as she sat back on her comforter, feeling pleased that her day had some excitement in her life.

It was only twenty minutes ago that Trunks had called her; Pan's heart was beating fast – even more faster than the speed of light – and it was pounding against her chest, screaming and demanding to be let out. But Pan held back her feelings. There must have been a reason why Trunks was calling her; after all, he never did. Except back in the days when he wanted to speak to Goten, but that was beside the point.

Just hearing his masculine voice on the telephone made Pan melt like ice cream laid out in the sun for far too long; Because Pan was putting herself in a daydream again, it was getting much too dificult to pay attention to what Trunks was saying. Until he had repeated his question – would she like to go on a date with him? The reaction coming from Pan was more than just shocked; in Pan's perspective, it was like he was proposing to her! Okay, she may have more than the occasional fantasy that the two of them would marry, and she did sound obsessive, but Pan couldn't help it – she was never asked out in her life. She had no boyfriends, she didn't have her first kiss – except that one in school, but it turned out to be a bet – and quite frankly, Pan was like Bulla; they were both single without any experience in the actual world of dating. But since Trunks had finally asked her out on a date – to her it was more than a dream come true – she hoped things would change for the better.

There was one problem. The date was scheduled to be the next day, which would be a Monday – or Monday night, to be technical.

Trunks had no inclination to tell Pan what he was planning to do, but he simply requested that she looked nice.

But the problem with that was that Pan was a tomboy; dressing feminine was not Pan's style, but she would do anything for Trunks. But then Pan came to the conclusion that Trunks could have liked her the way she was; after all, maybe they were going to a nice restaurant. The possibilities could be endless!

However, as much as Pan wanted to daydream about Trunks, she knew there was much needed work to be done. She needed a nice outfit, and there was only one person she knew that could help her. Bulla Briefs.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

"So what's the special occasion, anyway?" Bulla asked, unable to contain her curiosity any longer. When her best friend was blabbering on the phone, Pan sounded desperate for a change. Which was kind of unusual – Pan always kept her cool in check; only during the real stressing times did Pan start to freak out. Those were the times when Bulla really started to worry about her friend. Because there were moments, rarely, when Pan did hide things to herself – which was the first sign of stress.

"Special occasion?" Pan repeated, crossing her legs and her arms, while she pursed her lips in deep thought – wondering how to answer her friend's question.

Bulla chuckled. Bulla wasn't stupid; the expression on Pan's face was too readable, predictable even. Bulla, knowing Pan for all of her life, knew that she was daydreaming. About a certain man. Who she had a crush on for the longest time. And knew that there was no chance for her to move in on him like hunters do their prey.

"Does this face look like you know what I'm talking about?"

"Yes."

"Then spill it. What's the occasion?"

"Fine," Pan growled, almost ferociously, "I'm going on a date with your brother."

Bulla rolled her eyes before starting to clap her hands in a sarcastic manner.

It wasn't surprising, after all, Bulla pretty much threatened Trunks to reconsider his feelings for Pan; but Bulla wasn't planning to tell Pan ever. Not only would Pan freak out on her, but she would refuse to hang out with her not too long after. In Saiyan terms, it meant that their friendship would be over. But who was to say that Bulla was willing to risk her friendship with Pan just to get Trunks and her together?

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Pan didn't bother to reply to Bulla's remark, but instead ignored her as she glanced over the sunset-splashed red Alexander McQueen gown that she had an eye on ever since she walked into Bulla's closet.

It looked simple enough – it was strapless, it wasn't too long or too short – probably the perfect fit for someone such as Bulla's shape, and it didn't contain sparkles of any time.

"Trunks will love that; red's his favourite colour," Bulla commented, giving her embarrassed girl friend a wink, something that meant more than meets the eye.

Pan knew what Bulla was insinuating, but was too embarrassed and blushing too red to even declare a rhetorical comeback which would leave Bulla speechless.

"C'mon, try it on – it'll look good on you!" Bulla encouraged, but to Pan, it felt like she was trying to push Pan into making a decision.

Pan had no doubts she would look good in it – after all, Saiyans had their pride after all. The only problem was, what would other people think of her in it?

"Okay, fine."

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

"Oh my God, you look so cute!" Those seven words were the first to slip out of Bulla's mouth when she saw her best friend glamorized in one of her finest designer gowns; but to Pan, those seven words were enough to make her wince in shock – after all, Bulla was sometimes a loud mouth, and no matter what she said, it would be enough to get you into cardiac arrest because of it.

"I do not," Pan protested, twirling around while trying to get another opinion from the mirror. When she first saw the reflection, Pan did not believe it was her; it was like there's a goddess that had transformed – the dress hugged her petite body like a glove, and the dress gave out special attention to her hips, making them a little wider, but Pan didn't complain about that. Also, the crimson colour matched with her pale complexion, which made it seem like red was a good choice for her. Her shoulder-length onyx hair, which was straight as a line, also seemed to go with the outfit; and Pan couldn't imagine what she would look with make up on.

"You're a liar," Bulla rolled her cerulean blue eyes in response, but decided not to agitate her friend any further.

"So..."

"No, I'm not wearing any make-up," Pan interrupted, speaking with a specific, clear tone.

"Come on, just a little mascara, foundation and lip gloss wouldn't hurt."

"What's the point of going on this date if Trunks is going to see me as someone else?"

"Okay, fine. Just lip gloss and blush – skip the mascara," Bulla replied grouchily. Pan knew that Bulla hated giving up on an argument – if she wasn't going to win it, she would act it out in a bad mood; Pan also thought it was supposed to be an act, but unfortunately for her best pal, no one would buy it.

"Deal," Pan nodded her head. _What have I gotten myself into? _

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

There were only a few words to describe Trunks Briefs – confident, brave, handsome, the list could go on. But if there was one quality that you wouldn't think that he had, was the nerve to act anxious.

You heard me right; Trunks was indeed nervous of the upcoming date with Pan. Someone he never knew who he had feelings for. He was skeptical, wondering why he even asked Pan out. He thought he didn't know what he got himself into, which was unusual for him, since he's mostly a brave guy who could face any challenge without question.

But this was different. This was Goten's niece Pan, he was talking about. Someone that he could not absolutely, positively pursue romantically; at least, Trunks always thought that this was forbidden. But if you wanted a technical answer, it wasn't explicitly told that he wasn't allowed to date Pan; but if the subject was brought up, it would be awkward for the whole family to process. Trunks was a natural womanizer, which probably would add more fuel to the fire than reassurance.

But after he and Bulla's talk in the hot tub some time ago, he gave a generous amount of thought to devote to thinking about Pan and his own feelings for her. It was one of the few times Trunks actually acknowledged the fact that he may have hidden feelings, but being the president of Capsule Corp was one of the few things in his life that made him forget stuff like that; and he could only use the excuse that he was too busy to think about dating.

"Where are you going, hot shot?"

"Mom!" Trunks, wanting to be romantic on the first date, hid a bouquet of roses behind his back; while also sporting an embarrassed blush on his face – which didn't appear too often.

Bulma chuckled, before leaving her son to go to the kitchen to grab herself a refreshment.

Bulma knew that Trunks was going on a date, and she couldn't be happier. She knew how much stress it could be running a company – since she went through the same thing Trunks' age when her father had handed over the reigns.

She knew that in the past she had pressured Trunks to go on dates, have some fun for a change; but Bulma didn't actually figure that he would take her advice. After all, he was not only Bulma's son, but Vegeta's – out of all people – as well. Seeing how much he had influenced Trunks when he was little, Bulma wouldn't be surprised if the older Saiyan pressured Trunks into doing this; especially if it was for his mother's sake.

"You didn't answer my question," Bulma took a sip out of her coffee cup before glancing in Trunks' direction for an answer. "But I would like to know who the roses are for."

"I don't have any roses," Trunks laughed sheepishly, but he did a terrible job of convincing or in this case, lying to his parent.

Bulma didn't reply, but she did raise an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Just go on your date," Bulma shook her head, a few awkward silent moments later; giving up on trying to figure out who Trunks had the hots for. A smile rose on her lips as she sipped her coffee; Trunks was definitely in love.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

If Pan wasn't so desperately in love with Trunks, she would have to repeat to herself that this was the worst first date she had ever been on in her life.

No boy would make her wait in the damn cold rain, no boy would force her to wait outside an expensive restaurant – when said boy had the reservations, and no boy would stand her up.

Pan thought to herself if this was worth it.

But her conscience became clear again when she thought about why she was doing this. Hell yes, this was worth it.

And there were also times when she didn't think it was worth it; for example, one boy – who was ironically enough handsome – asked her why she was standing outside in the rain. To Pan's complete embarrassment, by showing off her reddened cheeks, she explained to him that she was waiting for her boyfriend who had yet to show up. Fortunately, the guy just nodded in an understanding way before turning his back on her and walking away. And it was a good thing that incident was the only thing that happened – but the worst that man could have done was ogle her, which he didn't, thank Kami.

"Pan!"

As if an angel had called out to her, Pan slowly focused her eyes upon the man she had been waiting for half the night... And at that moment, she knew that it was all worth it. The cold, the fresh wet tears falling from the sky and the guy that could have hit on her any time; Pan nearly laughed at herself.

"Trunks," Pan replied shyly, looking deeply into Trunks' sky blue eyes that she had adored so much, and she didn't notice that the spell he had placed onto her also did the same to vex Trunks...

He usually didn't notice how unique Pan's dark eyes were, but it was like he was seeing her in a whole new light – her eyes were glowing caramel, mixed with milk chocolate; a sight that Trunks now enjoyed.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Trunks broke out of the hypnotising staring contest with Pan, and apologized deeply for his actions.

"It's okay," Pan shrugged her petite shoulders, but now that they stopped gazing at one another, she felt the blast of cold enter her epidermis; and it was one of those times when Pan wished she brought a sweater.

"You look beautiful," Trunks complimented, causing Pan to blush with embarrassment, but at the same time she felt more pretty than she usually did when one would tell her things like this.

Trunks wasn't lying; Pan looked dazzling, in fact, gorgeous in ruby rouge – which complimented Pan's features perfectly. To be honest, Trunks thought the dress itself seemed familiar to him, but he wasn't about to dwell on it now. If Trunks really wanted to score points with Pan, he would tell her that she looked like an angel. His own personal angel sent from heaven, perfectly packaged in a colour that was ironically red – as in Hell red.

And then he just noticed. Her skin was shivering, but the goose bumps was what stood out the most.

Pan thought she would faint when she found herself wrapped in a warm, comfortable jacket – compliments of Trunks. She also thought she would die of embarrassment when she felt herself warm up again, in more ways than one... But Trunks took her hand gently and opened the door into the restaurant; determined to make up the time that had been lost.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

"Trunks, I really am having a good time," Pan reassured Trunks – who was looking pale as a ghost, not to mention nervous as hell. She placed her warm hand on top of his own, physically telling him that things would turn out fine in the end without any words.

Trunks smiled back, feeling the need to return Pan's feelings of comfort; and so, like Pan did, he raised his left hand and rubbed Pan's in a smooth notion, also giving her a sense of comfort. He could also use it as an excuse to feel her creamy epidermis once again.

"If you're having a good time, then so am I."

"Trunks, you're such a romantic," Pan, for the twentieth time that night, blushed once again, but it was a mere faint one – one that you couldn't tell from far away and that you had to be up close to see it. But it was a rosy pink – a colour that Trunks always thought that looked good on her.

"Please. If you want to see romantic, you should see Goten going at it with my sister."

"You know?"

"Of course I know. It wasn't that hard to figure out. Plus, I kind of saw them playing twister in the living room."

Pan giggled. "Were you just standing there like a creeper or did they see you?"

"Let's just say that they won't be playing like that in the living room again," Trunks smirked.

Pan, not feeling self-conscious about the way she acted in front of Trunks anymore, laughed also; picturing a very embarrassed Goten and Bulla in an awkward position. But to Pan, it would be more hilarious if she could have seen what Trunks' facial expression was like. After all, it wasn't every day when you catch your sister and your best friend making out.

It may seem like a cheesy moment, but Trunks thought that Pan looked absolutely gorgeous with that smile... It was like a new found light had lit up inside his heart. Well, spending one night with a girl that you'd come to love will do that to you.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

"Thank you," Pan whispered softly, causing Trunks' cheeks to turn a flushing red; technically though, his cheeks were already that shade, but only because he – driving a mercedes convertible in the rain (he knew that driving it was a bad idea, but since his other cars were in repair, the mercedes was the only option) – was nearing Pan's house. He knew that there wasn't anything to worry about, but the possibility still remains that Pan's parents would be waiting for her; thus introductions would have to be made. Therefore questioning Trunks' interests into dating their daughter would be made, and that was not what Trunks wanted. Well, for now anyways.

"You don't have to thank me," Trunks shrugged his shoulders, while struggling to keep his eyes on the road; with all the rain pouring down, it was getting harder every second to concentrate. Unfortunately for him, Pan was the distraction.

"I do," Pan placed a hand on top of Trunks' shoulder gently. In a third person point of view, it might of looked like a friendly gesture, but if you took a sneak peak of Trunks' mind – it appeared to be much more distracted.

All of a sudden, without any warning, the car slid to a jam – nearly crashing into a tree in the process. Pan nearly screamed, and the closest she could do was a frightened yelp; while Trunks was more embarrassed that he let his eyes slip off of the road to look into Pan's mystic hypnotizing ones.

"Great." Trunks ran a hand through his purple hair, looking frustrated. "I'm sorry Pan, the car won't start."

Yet again, if there was any opportunity to do... other things, Trunks was the type of person to not see it. However, Pan was more than eager to start those "other things."

Pan smiled, but didn't say anything in reply. Then she started to take a move on her prey; moving forward seductively... In Trunks' point of view, with the lightning in the background, Pan looked like a predator in disguise. And he loved it.

Before he could dwell on the subject any further, Pan kissed him; as if she was desperate for his love. In any case, Trunks couldn't refuse. He started to return her love, kissing her gently as if she was the most precious possession in the world that he refused to give up. Pan could feel herself heating up, but she didn't care.

As the two lovers pulled away, knowing this was the first date, they gazed into one another eyes – seeing the happiness and joy that came from their orbs.

And Pan was so glad that she went on this date after all...


	33. Treachorous Sibling Rivals In Love

**Chapter 33**

**~~ Sorry for the longish update; school is just deciding to torture me with homework, plus I have extracurricular activities biting at my butt, and not to mention writer's block to deal with; thus, stress became added to my list of problems. **

**Anyway, this chapter is a whole month after Bulla and Goten started seeing each other, and that Pan and Trunks are taking their "relationship" one step at a time and that they haven't been telling anyone if there was anything between them. **

**So I hope you guys will tell me what you think – if I made any mistakes, please tell me and I'll fix them. Oh, and if I get 5-10 reviews on this chapter, I think a little dedication story will be concocted in the honour of those reviewers, don't you think? Anyways, here's the next chapter!~~**

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

You'd think that after one month of dating somebody, things would start to settle down in a comfortable motion.

But since Bulla was briefly dating Goten for that time period, that theory was put to death – she'd still feel the excitement in the air when being around his presence; and her mind never once questioned her feelings about him.

Then she took the time to think about when she first had feelings for Goten; she figured that they were the type of feelings that could have been the fact that they were love at first sight. To be perfectly honest, Bulla had no clue why she had not admitted this to herself before, but she then realized that she was a stubborn girl and hated to admit her feelings – like her father in that way.

And then she had to think about the fact that she and Goten had only been dating for a month; Bulla, if you would have asked her this months ago, would have said that Goten was an infectious disease. Funny how little time could change a person – especially if they didn't have a boyfriend/girlfriend; now Bulla would have said that Goten had put a mystical spell on her, not that she would complain.

Speaking of, there was something that Bulla needed to do. She needed to talk to Pan. Something was going on with her; every time that Bulla hang out with her, Pan seemed... more joyous and happy. Bulla immediately assumed that something in Pan's life had caused her to be this way. Bulla didn't think it was a bad thing necessarily, but she still wanted to know.

Bulla knew that she was sounding nosy, but she couldn't help it. She always thought of others and how she would help them sometimes more than she would mind herself; Bulla had been told that many times by any member of her family – mostly her dad, ever since he took her on the first shopping trip in three months.

But Bulla wouldn't want to change anything about herself; she wasn't one of those girls that worried about their looks every twenty or so seconds. She wasn't one of those girls that actually considered in getting breast implants, or a total plastic surgery (all out plastic surgery). Bulla had been told this by her mother 10,000 times a year, ever since she turned fifteen; and not to mention that her best friend Pan calls her the most prettiest girl she knew on a monthly basis. Bulla took these opinions to heart, but one of the opinions that actually mattered to her most was Goten's.

He called her beautiful quite a few times, and it was genuine; Bulla knew that Goten wouldn't lie about something like that...

Bulla shook her head, erasing one of the few distractions that could keep her from her most important goal as of this day.

Once she knew what was up with Pan, Bulla would have no troubles as to going back to spending time with Goten. And it was especially hard when some people in her family had no clue as to why Bulla's behavior had changed so suddenly; and Bulla had to admit, she was thinking about blowing her secret relationship with Goten, but at the same time, she didn't want to lose it. Bulla wasn't going to take the risk – even if things did turn out to be different.

"Bulla, sweetie, are you okay? You've hardly touched your food," Bulma's voice interrupted Bulla's train of thought; Bulla looked up. Her mother's face expressed genuine concern and curiosity, which made Bulla feel even more guilty that she hadn't told her (still) that she was dating Goten. Bulla looked to her right, which her brother sat beside her with not so much as a caring face as Bulma did. Did this mean that Trunks didn't care about her and Goten? Bulla knew that Trunks knew that she was, but so far Trunks didn't seem to voice out a concern.

"Maybe she's in the mood to eat something else," Trunks smirked, the words slipped past his lips as his sister – who was immediately starting to flush from complete embarrassment.

Bulla could feel her cheeks burning, and she also had the audacity to choke on her steak – and not to mention the snorts of laughter coming from her brother, and the curious looks from both parents. And judging from the look on Vegeta's face, he also seemed to be curious as to what "eat something else" meant, but he didn't ask – to Bulla's relief.

However, it didn't mean that this situation was to be better than what could have been the outcome: since no one else knew what Bulla and Trunks were insinuating, there was always the chance they were going to ask, if they hadn't already.

"You're right. I'm in the mood for take-out. Aren't you?" Bulla poked Trunks in the ribs, deciding to give her older brother a taste of his own medicine. She smirked, satisfied of the slight blush reaction practically radiating from Trunks: Bulla could not wait and see what Trunks would say as a response...

Trunks, sipping from his newly opened soda, spat out the contents from his mouth – which happened to land right on his father's face, who did not look pleased by the "childish outburst" – as he would put it.

"What is going on?" Bulma shook her head, looking for answers in both Trunks and Bulla's direction, but they silently continued to smirk at each other.

Bulma sighed; knowing that five minutes have passed and that her children didn't have the inclination as to inform their mom about their innuendos: after all, she wasn't stupid. She knew that both Trunks and Bulla were implying something, but she had a feeling that they were each implying something different. Bulma was a genius: it would not take her a year to figure out something as trivial as this – as Trunks and Bulla had so bluntly put it.

"Woman, these children of yours are just as daft as you," Vegeta scoffed, putting in his input before going back to his dinner.

Bulma rolled her eyes, but she ignored her husband's nightly insult routine. Only this time, Vegeta would have said something more than just that, but with the soda incident, Vegeta was more or less in a good mood – if ever.

No one else had anything to say, even if it was to change the subject; so the Briefs family silently finished off their plates, tossed them in the sink, and left in seperate directions to pursue their own means of entertainment.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

"What's the deal, Trunks?" You can pretty much tell that those four words were explanatory enough: after all, they seemed to be expressed clearly and boldly since they were the only ones that were spoken as Bulla entered Trunks room without so much as a respective knock on the door.

Trunks could tell that Bulla was not pleased; and not because of her hands on her hips or the ever-arising fire in her blue eyes – but because of the way that Bulla was holding back her anger. One moment she would explode in total anger, and another time she'd try to control herself – and not to make this situation worse at hand, Trunks stayed quiet. He knew what she was talking about. Trunks sighed, tossing his sports magazine aside to focus on his annoyed sister.

Bulla Briefs was not a teenage girl you would want to mess with; on some cases, one would think that she held serious grudges, but in Trunks' and the rest of the family's perspective, she was overreacting as in a dramatic drama queen. But one in the family would not say such a thing to her face – since her reaction would be much worse than you would expect it to be.

"I said, what's the deal?" Bulla, narrowing her eyes in distaste and annoyance, spoke through her teeth, somewhat raising her voice, but was careful enough to not arouse curiosity and suspicion from her parents.

"What are you talking about?"

"You were about to out me and Goten at dinner, weren't you?" You would think that Bulla wouldn't be furious at all that Trunks was pretending to not realize what he had done at dinner; but secretly, Bulla was fighting herself to keep her emotions in check. She knew that she was being talked behind other people's back that she was a drama queen, but Bulla would really care less what they thought, even though she kind of agreed with them.

Trunks blinked; he did have a feeling once in a while that Bulla knew that Trunks knew about the two of them being an item, but he didn't take them seriously. Trunks had to give it to his sister: there were times when Bulla didn't appear to be as smart, but at the same time, it was like there wasn't any other girl in the world that matched her intelligence. Or at least, in school.

"You need to tell them sometime, Bulla."

Bulla relaxed, but was still suspicious of Trunks' behavior. Did this mean that Trunks didn't care about her and Goten's relationship? It was still too early to tell: Bulla, for the most part, couldn't read what Trunks was thinking most of the time, so she couldn't think anything of it.

But there was one thing that Bulla could think about – Trunks and Pan. One of the quirks that Bulla had, especially since she had inherited them from her mom, was the ability to pay attention to her surroundings. For example, Bulla knew Pan more than most people – thus when Pan became happy, and by happy, Bulla meant extremely joyous and sweet; which was unlike her usual behavior as a sarcastic, sassy but sometimes nice. And since Bulla was Pan's best friend, that meant listening to boy troubles – which concluded the fact that Pan's date with Trunks was a huge success, thus they were willing to step things up to a relationship.

She didn't need Trunks to admit it. She just wanted him to realize the difference.

Bulla jeered. "You're the one to talk. You're the one who won't say you love Pan."

Trunks' unconditioned reflex said it all: he was in love with Pan. Bulla could tell by the way Trunks' eyes were avoiding her own, and by his sudden stiffness.

"Yeah well, this is different."

Bulla crossed her arms, as if she was waiting for something, but was too impatient to cool down. "How is this different? You love her, don't you?"

"I don't know." In reality, Trunks truly didn't know if he felt that way about Pan. All he knew, was that he really liked her, and that they were taking their relationship slowly. It had only been one month since him and Pan's first date, and ever since, they had been meeting in secret – not ready to show the world who's a couple as of yet. "But this isn't about me. This is about -"

"About what? Me and Goten?"

"I'm not saying that you shouldn't date, but I'm saying that -"

"I knew it. You don't want me to date him, do you? Well guess what: I love Goten. And I don't care what you or anyone else thinks," Bulla snapped, leaving her brother alone to indulge the words that his sister had spoken to him.

Bulla knew she meant what she said; she loved Goten, and she didn't care what anyone thought about them. But did that also mean her family?

She had to admit that she wanted Trunks to approve, and at first, she thought he did, but now it made sense: Trunks didn't want Bulla to be involved with his best friend. Bulla didn't even want to think about what her parents would think of her – in love with someone that was at least four years older.

As the troubled teenaged Saiyan pondered her thoughts, she didn't notice a certain person standing outside of Trunks' room, hanging in the shadows with a displeased frown written on his face...

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

"What seems to be the problem?" Goten asked his girlfriend, who looked down-right... depressed. Saddened.

Truth be told, Goten did not like seeing his newest love of his life being like this. Bulla was like an angel sent to him from heaven, and that she was the most beautiful being on Earth; but Goten knew that this was not his girlfriend.

When Bulla called him to ask him if he wanted to hang out at the park, he didn't dare to decline: after all, Goten was thinking of her more and more lately, not to mention that there were things that he wanted to tell her.

But Goten didn't imagine that Bulla was going to be like this. The hurt in her eyes were obvious to detect, plus her skin turned gray, ill and pale: which could only mean one thing.

Goten kissed Bulla's forehead, just long enough to put in all his condolences and comfort in her, so then she would know that. Goten embrace her lovingly, rubbing her back affectionately as Bulla slowly started to regain her composure.

Bulla put on a small smile; Goten was sweet enough to still care for her – rubbing her back, kissing her, holding her... Her heart melted at his gestures. Was this what girlfriends felt when their boyfriends comforted them? If that fact was true, then Bulla wished that she could have known this before going out with Goten.

"It's nothing." Bulla didn't want to worry him; she didn't want to put pressure on Goten, who was more than okay about keeping this relationship a secret for a little while before going public. She didn't want him to change his mind about it – saying that everyone had to know what kind of girl that Goten was into.

"Come on, you can tell me."

"Trunks knows about us," Bulla said flatly, since she didn't know what to make of it. By the look on Goten's face, however, it seemed as though he didn't care.

For some reason, in Goten's mind, he wasn't as shocked as he would have been: Goten realized that Trunks wasn't as protective and violent as other people would have made him out to be – which was probably why Trunks hadn't kicked his butt for looking at Bulla in an affectionate way not too long ago... Come to think of it, Trunks didn't appear to be affected by it at all – which was sort of nice, in retrospect. But the point was, Goten thought that there were more things to worry about than Trunks.

"And he thinks that we shouldn't date," Bulla scoffed, starting to feel angry again. Goten relaxed, smiling at the sight of Bulla. He didn't mind her one bit when she was furious about something, but when she was sad, it was like she was an entirely different person.

"I don't think he thinks that," Goten kissed Bulla's cheek a couple times, making Bulla giggle for a few short periods of time.

"I don't know. It's just... that I really want him to be happy for us. Like I am for him and Pan."

"What?"

Bulla blinked, as her boyfriend pulled away from the romantic embrace. "Didn't he tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"That he and Pan are dating."

Now that was a shocker – in Goten's opinion. Even though he and Trunks were best friends, they would never share secrets about their personal, romantic life. But there were a few things that Goten did pick up on Trunks when they were growing up; for instance, that Trunks was a famous playboy who wouldn't settle down with one girl. And now that it had happened, and with Pan no less, Goten didn't really know what to think. Or do, in this matter.

"Since when?" Was all that Goten could manage to say, as his girlfriend tilted her chin with the palm with her hand, as if to remember.

"Well, from what I gathered, the two of them have been hitting it off for a month," Bulla said slowly, wondering how Goten would process this information.

Judging from the way he clenched his fists tightly, Bulla knew that he wasn't angry, but he wasn't pleased either – from the expression on his face.

Bulla scooted herself closer to him, preparing to kiss Goten on the lips with as much love as any girlfriend could have done; she could use the fact that she wanted to comfort him, but then there was the other fact that she loved the taste of his lips...

Goten immediately reciprocated the kiss, suddenly embracing his girlfriend's waist with his two, strong hands...

As the two of them continued to show their feelings for one another, they did not notice a certain brunette frowning with obvious displeasure. This simply will not do.

**:3 :3 :3 :3 :3**

**~~ Trunks, boy, you better make things right with Bulla: she seems pretty upset with you right now. But who wouldn't? Come on, wouldn't you want your brother's approval to date someone close to the family? I certainly would xD. **

**Anyways, I forgot to mention this before the chapter started, but I decided to EXPAND THIS STORY. Nope, it's not EVEN CLOSE to being finished, so please tell me what you would want to see in the upcoming chapters :) ~~**


	34. The Dishonest One Is Honest

**Chapter 34**

**~~ Wow – thirty-four chapters already, and the drama is going to start heating up (and I mean DRAMA). **

**So I'm probably going to have this story MAYBE fifty or more chapters, I'm not sure: depending on how much plot-lines I can come up with LOL. So please, feel free to send me ideas! I would LOVE hearing from you. Maybe you'll get a role in the story if you do... ;) ~~**

**:3 :3 :3**

The one thing that Vegeta could not stand in his lifetime was dishonesty. He hated being lied to, and in his own experience, this led to serious betrayal: and that was how he felt at the moment. He felt betrayed. And he was damned angry about it. No. Angry wasn't even close to being the word that described how he was truly behaving right now: it was more like Vegeta transforming into a super saiyan ten – if possible. Anger was what he was used to all of his life, and was always expected to feel it; but this time, it was the right emotion to feel – after all, Vegeta had clear notions on what was considered to be betrayal.

But this was the one situation where Vegeta did not see coming; he had full reports on the household and on his family, and he was perfectly clear what was going on.

But it came to his attention from the past few months that something was going on, even when his own family did try to deny any happenings; it was clear from the moment in his daughter's behavior, and his son's quick change in personality, that something was clearly not normal in the Briefs' household.

Vegeta did not like to be kept from secrets. Secrets meant ambushes and sneak attacks, but on Earth, it meant something entirely different.

And now he knew what it was.

But who was he more irascible with?

As the Saiyan Prince contemplated the situation, the sweat that was a result to his training clouded his skin like a cloak. His muscles ached and groaned in agony, screaming at him to stop; but if anyone knew Vegeta, apart from himself, they would know that he was not to stop. Training was his passion by day, and fighting against those who questioned him, or against the world, by years.

This training session, in his mind, was completely necessary; he had to make his voice perfectly clear to him.

Vegeta scrunched his eyebrows in distaste, just thinking about their relationship. Something that Vegeta was completely unaware of when it came to Bulla, his daughter – the only child that practically inherited his pride, after all.

He couldn't believe it. He could not believe the fact that his youngest would consider to mate with Kakarot's youngest boy. In Saiyan culture, it was considered to be an insult when your child mates with their father or mother's rival's child, thus, if they were back on Planet Vegeta, and if Vegeta himself were ruling, he would have exiled him. Premeditated murder was one thing, but that punishment was only laid upon traitors and murderers willing to treason against the King.

But this was Earth. A planet where Earthlings handled things much differently. If it were up to Vegeta, and in this case he felt this concerned him deeply, he would kill him. But Vegeta's sense of smell told him that none of his kids have ever permanently mated with anyone, thus, he knew that only a fair sense of beating was in order.

Just thinking about that damned brat with his daughter in an intimate way... His blood pumped, and his muscles quit hurting. His anger was, once again, starting to boil – a sure sign that he was about to go all out on his training.

And he would not be afraid to go all out on Goten.

**:3 :3 :3**

The events that had occurred over the past few months had led to this moment; whatever Bulla and Pan had to have accomplished to make sure that they'd have their men by their side. Although Bulla had to go through a lot more obstacles to make sure her feelings for Goten were absolutely real, and Pan had to have a back-up plan – not to mention Bulla's help, in the sense of cleverness – to get Trunks reeled into her possession.

Everything that the two teenaged girls worked for would soon pay off, as an up-coming charity ball – once again hosted by Bulla's wealthy enhanced family – would determine their reward.

Normally, Bulla was all out for dances, parties, gowns, dresses and the music but this time she wasn't inclined to go: one, the invitees on her mother and grandmother's list consisted of high-uprising societal girls raised in an elegant, wealthy environment where they turned out to be beautiful counterparts of their parents, and since Goten and his family were once again invited to this yearly ball, well, she was certainly afraid that Goten would have the animal instinct in him to look at other females; after all, Bulla only somewhat felt unworthy of Goten's affections, since he had a previous relationship. Two, and at the same time, Bulla didn't feel the need to dress up in clothes that would already attract dozens of boys at the ball – since there was only one that would capture her interest. Three, she was simply too tired; school became hectic for her, even though she was intelligent enough to say that she would have quit school to learn more about the mechanics of things from her mother. Instead though, she just wanted a normal education – even though dozens of students knew who exactly who she was.

Although her parents didn't know about this yet, and she had plenty of time to tell them.

_If this means you're not going, is Goten? _

Bulla growled, palming her face in extreme stupidity as she remembered Goten's situation. What worried her the most was that if she was at the ball or not, was Goten's behavior towards those pretty girls. She knew he was bound to get attention – since he was the most handsome and most polite guy one could ever meet in their lifetime. They liked each other, and Bulla loved him, but didn't know whether or not how loving he was towards her. Bulla was an extremely self-conscious girl, like her daft mother, as her father put it. She also tended to worry a lot, just like Bulma did when she was about her age. She did not want to imagine her boyfriend sucking up to the attention of those whores that would likely try to steal him away from her.

Bulla blushed, realizing the nasty thought that ferociously popped up in her brain. She never once talked of other girls as whores – and she realized that she must be jealous just thinking about that potential situation.

She didn't want to lose Goten. Thus, her mind had been made up: she's going to the ball.

She had no choice. If Bulla wanted to stop those hussies from stealing her man, she had to be there to claim him. Was this how her mother felt when around Vegeta? Was she this possessive and selfish? Bulla would not be surprised if the answer of "yes" came back around. But then again, she really didn't want to know the details of the past.

A subtle knock on her door made Bulla secretly rejoice in relief, worried that her brain power would explode if she tried to do much more homework. "Bulla?"

"Mom, you can come right in," Bulla, rubbing her poor temples from her mother's over enthusiastic screech of excitement, said but it wouldn't have made a difference as Bulma walked briskly into the room.

"Bulla, if you're not too busy, I need your opinion on a couple of things."

Bulla blinked her sapphire blue eyes a couple of times, slowly, processing the information that her mom was giving her. "Like what?"

Bulma sat down softly on Bulla's bed with a hesitant expression on her face – not knowing how to start this dreadful conversation.

"Bulla, does your father seem rather... weird to you?"

Bulla furrowed her eyebrows in a confusing notion; she blinked, several more times, to slowly take in the news that Bulma had said to her. "What do you mean?" To be honest, Bulla never noticed anything different about her father's behavior. In fact, she had seen him even less and less, but Bulla assumed that he wanted to get back to a heavy training schedule. After all, just his past week, he had nearly blown up the GR in an attempt to rebel against Bulma – which Bulla had no clue why he did so, but whatever temporary anger he held towards Bulma was kept to himself – and came out lucky with only benign scars and burn marks. Even at dinner time this past week Vegeta kept to himself, like he always did. So why did her mom feel the need to be paranoid?

Bulma sighed, letting her facial expression feign in disappointment for a few moments before regaining her composure. "You're right. I've been at hard work lately, with the annual charity ball coming up."

Bulla wouldn't call her mother stress free these days, since all what Bulma seemed to want to talk about at dinner, and beyond, was the fact that she hadn't won a Nobel Prize for her work: thus, her scientific muse flashed a pretty bulb in her head. These past few weeks were hectic for everyone. They had to deal with non-stop complaining about leaving laundry on the floor when there were potential new clients for Capsule Corporation – even though Trunks was in charge of the company itself, Bulma didn't exactly promote him to the financial/business/negotiating part. Therefore, Bulma kept herself extremely busy by finishing paperwork for her new inventions she was planning to sell to the general public, but needed company approval and general testing.

Plus, Bulma had to arrange for the ball – which was no easy task on anyone's part. The catering, the decorations, and the music was hard enough on a budget, and even the clothing or the guest invites didn't come cheap.

"Speaking of, I hoped to talk to you about that."

"I'm listening."

"Since you're young, and single, I was hoping that you'd meet this handsome boy. He's the son of one of the clients we've managed to persuade recently, and I know you two would have so much in common."

Bulla nearly had to throw up after hearing what her mom had to propose. She was not single, and she was already in love with the most perfect guy, but then again, her mom didn't know that she was dating Goten – although she should have suspicions that Bulla was, since the whole dinner fiasco with Trunks nearly blowing her secret. But her mother playing matchmaker?

Bulla didn't even know the damn boy yet, and yet she already wanted to puke. She was never the type of girl to fall for boys who were only into the wealth and the elegance – in other perverted words, the female beauty – of women. She could picture the guy to be nothing but a complete jackass, a typical stereotype of all rich boys.

She sighed, clearly confused inside and out as to what she should do. She didn't want to disappoint her family, but at the same time, she'd be hurting the one she loved – and it would look like she would be cheating on him.

"I don't know."

In truth to the situation, Bulla really didn't know; and it appeared to her mother that Bulla was not entirely upfront to the idea of going on a date with a guy she just met. Or so, it appeared that way just by seeing the pale look on her face.

"You're not seeing anyone else, are you?"

If Bulla thought her heart was racing then, she would never have come close to describing the poundings and the quickness paces in her heart; it was beating quite fast – even faster than a cheetah running through the open savannah. And it was at that moment, Bulla immediately thought that Bulma knew about her and Goten. At the same time, Bulla hoped it wasn't true.

"N-no, of course not," Bulla lied, barely managing to convince Bulma of the truth.

However, since Bulma was fairly hard to convince of anything – even Trunks had a hard time managing to pull off a lie, so he could hang out with Goten when they were kids, and to be told, Bulla knew that Trunks still felt guilty after that incident (even though he had never specifically told her what he and Goten did).

"Well then it's settled. You need a man in your life, Bulla. After all, one day you may never get that chance," Bulma smiled weakly at her daughter before leaving Bulla to ponder in her thoughts.

Bulla was almost convinced of her mother's antics. Surely at this point, which did happen in Bulla's opinion, Bulma certainly knew of her situation. But being the understanding mother that she was, she kept quiet and didn't make a big fuss of it. To protect her from Vegeta's wrath if Kami knew he found out... Bulla smiled. At least someone cared.

**:3 :3 :3**

"He will be mine. I'll make sure of it." Valese spat in the telephone, thinking agressively to herself that this plan would work.

It had to work. She wanted him back. She needed him in her life. She loved him as much as a tiger loved consuming his prey. And there was no escape for him, or that Smurf bitch that he dumped HER of all people, to date.

Valese narrowed her brown eyes in disgust. The one man she treasured in her life more preciously than anything had vanished. Escaped her grip. But how the heck could he have done so? She knew that Ms. Smurfette had vexed him with her "aluring" looks and her competent brain. But there was something else. Something that had drawn Goten to her that caused him to rethink his relationship with Valese. Knowing that she couldn't have discussed this on her own, she had to call one of her friends to do the inside job. Knowing that he had agreed to help her win back Goten, and in return, he would claim Bulla as his own, which Valese had no objection to. Not to mention that she would pay him greatly for his efforts, which was what every favour they had done together amounted to.

"When is it?" Valese planted her manicured hand on her hip, impatiently waiting for him to give her the exact time, and the exact place where Goten would be guaranteed to show up. He would show up. Because this was going to be the day that Valese would reclaim what belonged to her.

"It's next week, at the Capsule Corporation. It starts at seven, Princess."

Valese snorted. The nickname that he had given her had started to wear thin, and she had hardly appreciated calling her that anymore; other than that, he had a smart ass attitude that could compensate for the fact that their partnership was deadly close to being a falling out. But Valese would not allow that. She would keep this partnership, and she would keep Goten. For good.

"Don't be upset now Princess."

"I'm not upset."

"Either that, or you're just desperate to getting him back. If it's worth it."

Valese scowled. Who the hell did he think he is? He didn't even know the other side to her! Of course he was worth it; only that she had to try harder to make sure that he was.

"He is worth it."

"What? Did you miss your menstruating period or what?"

"You know nothing about women," Valese snorted, trying hard not to laugh at her partner's antics of insulting her. She really doubted how he intended to keep Bulla in his clutches if he intended to act like that. But then again, she really didn't know much more about him – other than the fact that he was willing to participate in any plan necessary to get his girl.

And to be honest, he was stupider than she had planned.

When she was through with him, he – and Bulla – would wish they had never encountered her.

"Ouch, sweetheart. That really hurt me bad."

"I bet it did."

"Why do you have to play so cold, Valese?"

"You know that I'm already taken."

"Yeah. By a man who's already in love with another girl."

Valese clenched her fists. "He is not in love with her. He's merely under a vexation."

"Right," the man on the other side of the phone replied sarcastically.

"By the time I'm through with that Smurfette bitch, Goten will be thanking me."

_We'll see about that. _

**:3 :3 :3**

"What the hell is that for, woman?" Vegeta wiped the satisfactory smirk right off his face, as his angry wife retaliated by slapping him in the face. He knew that he had seen that coming, but hardly figured that Bulma would have figured it out much sooner.

"You know what the hell that is for, Vegeta," Bulma placed her hands furiously on her hips, twisting to one side to show off her angry pose.

Bulma was more furious than she could ever have hoped. She knew that she wasn't imaging things when Vegeta had acted more hostile lately; and she knew why.

She didn't get why he couldn't stand to leave her alone. She didn't get why he couldn't let his daughter be happy with the one guy that she had fallen for; and Bulma knew it to be true. Vegeta had found out. He had found out that the two of them were dating secretly, which Bulma was a little surprised, but knew it was eventually going to happen – due to her intuition.

She understood that Vegeta had a rivalry with Goku in his lifetime. But one would think that he would get over it by now, now that the two of them were friends, and the past had been put behind them.

"So you're more intelligent than I had given you credit for."

Turned out that Bulma was not amused by his idea of a compliment.

"Why can't you leave them alone?"

"And why did you set her up with one of your colleage's boys?"

"You know nothing about women," Bulma scoffed, waving off Vegeta's question with a twitch of a hand.

"Answer my question," Vegeta narrowed his onyx eyes, now that it was his turn to not be amused or impressed with his stubborn wife's antics.

"It was a test to see if she would admit it."

"If it was a test, then why the hell would you ask?" Vegeta's anger was starting to rise to the surface; and Lord knew that no one wanted to be around to witness his ballistic and ironical animal nature. Including Bulma, depending on the situation. "You know she wouldn't admit anything like that!"

"You know why she wouldn't, Vegeta. Because how you would react: the same way you're reacting right now!" Bulma poked Vegeta in the chest, her frustrations also coming to the surface.

"Well, I'm certainly reacting how I'm supposed to."

"Really? I wonder how you would react when I shut down the GR for the rest of the month."

"Damn you, woman."

**:3 :3 :3**

**~~I apologize for the longish update: Remembrance Day is coming up, and I had to prepare my essay and poem – which is a lot harder than you would think, LOL. But, excuses aside, here we go to chapter 35! ~~**


	35. A Force To Reckon With

**~~ So Valese is back – except with a scheme (selfish no less) to get Goten back. I know what you're all thinking: she's a 3itch and no one wants her. So very true, especially I've got a special one saying that ;). Anyways, you're probably also thinking that Valese is desperate – which is also quite true. **

**Here's a hint for the future chapters: the man that Valese was talking to in the last chapter, well, he is connected to someone who is close to the Briefs' family... **

**So, once again, tell me your ideas – what is going to happen with Valese and the others? ~~**

**Chapter 35**

"What do you think?" Pan sashayed across the room, as though she was a princess – although she could be called a princess with pride and confidence.

Pan knew that she looked good; she found a lavender silk dress – sleeveless and flowing up to the knees – that complimented her own soft epidermis. Her athletic figure was easily shown through the thin layers of the dress but made her thin posture look extremely elegant – a look that she was wanting to pull off at the ball in a week.

Bulla pulled off a weak smile to her friend, as she looked away from the window in her bedroom. "You look great Pan."

"What's wrong?" Pan noticed Bulla's demeanor, which was classified as a sad and sorrowfully depressing behavior; which was weird, since Pan knew that she didn't act that way often – thus this had come to her attention much quicker.

"My mom wanted to set me up with this one guy at the ball," Bulla breathed out heavily, wondering what Pan would think of this turn of events. "And she asked me if I was seeing anyone, and I'm pretty sure she knows, and I said no – thus, she still wants me to see him anyway."

Pan was shell-shocked for a split second, but her surprised facial expression turned to one of anger and disappointment. She put her hands harshly on her hips, walking towards her friend with that look on her face. At that moment, Bulla wished that she wouldn't look at her like that – and that she wished she said a different answer. "Why would you tell her you weren't seeing Goten? It would have made things much easier you know!"

Bulla sighed, feeling the guilt sink in. "I know, but it didn't seem like it's such a good idea to me. My dad could have been listening in and you know how he gets."

Pan scoffed, rolling her almond eyes – not caring at all for Bulla's excuses. "You're scared for what your dad would think of you? What about Trunks, does he know?"

"I don't know, wouldn't he talk about that to you?"

"Why would he talk to me about it?"

"You're his girlfriend - he's supposed to confide in you."

"Yeah, well, I'm not pushing it," Pan strutted across Bulla's room to the nearest mirror, wanting to check out for any flaws and perfections in the dress.

"And you call me a novice at romance," Bulla chuckled before going to her own closet to find a dress to wear.

"The point is, you have to tell your family soon. You can't keep putting it off."

Bulla ignored her friend's advice. "And I didn't get this far by taking hand outs. Now, what looks good on me? Should I wear blue or pink? What would Goten like?"

Pan raised her brunette eyebrows skeptically, knowing that her friend would keep putting the subject out of reach between them: Pan wanted Bulla to be happy, but she also had to tell her that she couldn't hold onto Goten in her grasp without telling her family about their relationship. Because of her actions, they would think that she was single, therefore the chances of matchmaking increased. Pan knew how stubborn Bulla was, and she truthfully didn't know how long this was going to go on before suspicions were drawn, and how upset Bulla's family would be to find out that she had kept this relationship behind their backs. In anyone else's eyes, it would have appeared that Bulla was ashamed of revealing Goten before her family, but in Pan's, she could somewhat guess that she was trying to protect him. After all, Pan had to admit that Vegeta was more than enough of a reason to hide him.

"I think you would look good either way, in Goten's eyes," Pan stated, trying to understand the behavior of her closest friend – which was certainly unusual.

For one, she was hardly self-conscious about clothes, and for once Bulla had quite the trouble picking out a dress that would compliment her beauty. Second, Bulla never really gave a damn about what other people thought of her – except her parents – and she was extremely nervous as to how Goten will see her as. Which led Pan to this next point: why she was truly acting this way.

Bulla nodded, but still paled, she still thought about his reaction. Everything mattered up to the point of the ball; she wanted to look gorgeous for Goten, so he would never have eyes for any other girl that was surely to be invited to the charity function. Her heart sank, the same reaction she had when fantasizing her boyfriend flirting with other girls. There was nothing to be prideful except knowing that the love that she was with would never cheat on her; there was nothing more hurtful than the pain that would come across her ego – physical pain was nothing compared to her Saiyan pride being risked, just for the chance of winning Goten's heart. Even though Pan assured her that Goten had no other women in mind except her, Bulla still had a feeling of paranoia stuck in her throat, and possessing her mind.

"Why are you going to the ball?"

Bulla blushed faintly, "You know why," Bulla turned her back on Pan, the reason being that her blush was about to be put on full display but in reality she was using the excuse to pick another dress of similar proportions.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Pan scoffed, crossing her arms and leaned her weight on her right leg – a pantomime saying "Convince me".

Bulla hesitated, and she knew she couldn't lie to Pan. If it weren't for her, really, Goten wouldn't be seeing her as more than a friend. He wouldn't have been seeing her more as his best friend's sister, and that was a name far worse than being classified as just a friend.

"Does Goten really like me?" Bulla blabbered quickly, not daring to repeat herself in case Pan didn't hear what she said.

"Ahhh, I see," Pan smirked. "You're jealous."

"I am not jealous!" Bulla spun around, hands on her hips with a furious gleam in her blue eyes – the storm that was boiling deep within her. "I just don't want those whores to steal him away."

"Whores?" Pan raised an eyebrow, secretly laughing with extreme amusement: this was the Bulla she knew.

"Yeah. Whores. Bitches who think they can get my Goten – well, they've got another thing coming," Bulla vented, her anger boiling quicker than earlier. She started to pace across the room, and before her very eyes, pictures of girls surrounding Goten made her sick to her stomach. However, Bulla did not notice her friend looking quite amused.

Pan knew that Bulla could deny it any time she wanted, but Pan knew the truth; she was so jealous of the possibility of Goten being attracted to other girls. That was what made her angry – that she could be put aside for girls that had no class, no elegance and beauty itself played a part. Pan also had to assume that this was her Saiyan pride being put to the test. What amused Pan the most of this situation was that Goten was not an adulterous person – he was far from it; he would never cheat on his girlfriends, since his mother taught him respect. But Pan didn't think that Bulla knew this.

"Relax, Bulla. Goten wouldn't cheat on you. You're the Saiyan Princess – you're the prettiest girl in his eyes; those other girls can't compare to you."

Since Bulla may as well be Vegeta – in a woman form – Pan knew the only way to convince her was fill up her ego; Pan learned this trick when she was talking to Trunks the other day, but to be technical, she had put the pieces together since she knew how much of an ego Bulla contained. In other words, sucking up was the method that could raise her confidence.

"Damn right I'm prettier. Those girls think that they can win him over with plastic surgery," Bulla scoffed, not noticing Pan's distraction.

"And we all know that surgery is for desperate people," Pan prodded, knowing that it wouldn't be long before Bulla won't be wallowing in her jealousy.

"And those who act desperate won't get what they want," Bulla grinned, finally feeling satisfied that no one was going to come between her and Goten. It took her this long to realize that Goten had no eyes for girls that had boob jobs – she was sure that Goten went for natural and nothing but. Bulla was perfect the way she was, therefore she drew Goten's attention, and Bulla had done nothing but make her appearance more obvious – nothing to change it in a different way.

"So what dress are you going to wear?"

"Blue."

Pan nodded. "Blue is a colour that is a force to reckon with."

Bulla winked, feeling the texture of the dress underneath her fingertips, "Exactly."

**:3 :3 :3 :3**

The Charity Ball, of which Bulma Briefs and her Corporation were hosting, was the talk of the town – and not to mention the invitees' main focus.

Since this tradition had started just last year, the purpose was to create alliances and talk potential clients into joining Capsule Corporations' main liaison. But ironically enough, the invitation list consisted of people wanting to find an excuse to convince Capsule Corporation of other intentions, thus others were using that excuse as well. But it was said that the party was to be elegant, and exclusive – meaning that not many family members or friends were invited. Which could serve to be a problem in two young woman's fantasies.

But this problem could be overlooked with convincing, and acting, on both parties' parts: for example, Trunks was set on having Pan attending with him, but since neither of them were ready to admit their relationship to the public as of yet, they would classify each other as friends if either of them asked. But that wouldn't really be called a problem, since no one would expect that and not to mention everyone thought that the two of them were friends either way; no. The real concern was convincing everyone else that Bulla and Goten were going to attend, also as friends.

When Bulla was speaking to Goten on Friday, on the telephone, they had agreed it would be far less complicated to go as a couple – the press would be on them quicker than bees attracting themselves to flowers. They spoke about their clothing choices, although Bulla kept Goten in suspense with only a couple of hints. The two of them also agreed that in order to play the part of friends, they would see each other in the midst of the Capsule Corp dining/dancing area, so no suspicions would be concluded. The love they held for each other was so strong that Goten had serenaded her with a promise of eternal bliss, and a kiss, they promised each other that no one would come between them. Although Bulla didn't exactly explain the situation of jealousy to Goten, but only because she secretly reasoned with herself that there was no need – since his declaration of devotion to her proved it. But another part of her wanted the reassurance from Goten, so Bulla made a secret note in her head – reminding her not to forget to mention it to him at the ball. Their love was still going strong, so Bulla had no worries, and neither did Goten.

Since Pan's pep talk to Bulla cheered her greatly, and her jealousy merely downgraded to public possession of her boyfriend, she agreed to help her mother send out the rest of the invitations, and to help her grandmother cook for the event.

Her attitude didn't go unnoticed for the rest of the week, since Trunks noticed a huge amount of positivity and excitement radiating from his sister – and he knew the reason for that: Goten. To be honest, he was happy more than anything that the one boy that could make his little sister happy was his best friend. Trunks, at the beginning, didn't want Goten to touch her at all just because of his overprotecting nature to Bulla. But now – after Pan told him the recent events of their newly-found happiness – Trunks had accepted Goten as someone who was kindhearted and gentle. He then knew that Goten wouldn't hurt his sister for the world.

But there was something that was troubling Trunks; he knew that Vegeta had found out about their relationship. And at that moment, Trunks knew that Bulla and Goten were going to be torn apart because of Vegeta's nature; Since Trunks cared for his sister's happiness, and his best friend's welfare too he supposed, he wasn't going to let Vegeta ruin their time together. But absolutely no one – not even Bulma, who was on the same position as he – knew that Trunks knew (apart from Pan) about this twisted love relationship.

Even Vegeta spent less time training to devise ways to break apart Goten and his daughter, but since everyone was too busy with the preparations of the ball, it was perfect time to hide his intentions; thus no one had noticed his strange behavior.

Bulma, working too often as a workaholic most of the time – even though she had retired from Capsule Corporation – started to feel even more stressed out, of the little details of the party: since this ball was the most important function of the year, she could hardly get anything done.

Nobody took Bulla's abrupt change in attitude, family dinners included, as a bad thing; instead, things appeared to be normal as though the days always have been, thus no one had said anything to disrupt those moments.

As Bulla took another chunk out of her spaghetti, her family members looked on with curiosity. Bulla now talked, or at least contributed a discussion worth saying, at the table – which led to the next subject, which was to be expected: the ball.

"So... who's going with who?" Bulma asked before slurping parts of her spaghetti.

"I know Trunks is going with a certain lady friend," Bulla elbowed her brother, prodding him to reveal his date.

Trunks felt all pairs of eyes resting on him with curiosity, as they did not really know who he was going with. He blushed faintly before shaking his head, telling himself that there wasn't really anything to be embarrassed about. "I'm going with Pan."

This definitely caught Vegeta's attention, as his head immediately turned upwards, eyeing his son with a look of displeasure and shock – so well hidden – in his dark, onyx eyes which appeared to show next to no emotion. One could clearly tell he was affected by Trunks' choice of date because of the way his fists clenched tightly, nearly imploding the fork he held in his hand – but no one noticed this because the attention was solely focused on Trunks.

"Is she the one your dating these days?" Bulma chuckled, causing Trunks' blush to appear for everyone to see, as it turned into a colour of crimson and rosy red mixed. Secretly, his face was burning up with such embarrassment as he stopped eating, but started to chew very slowly in hopes to ignore his mother's question.

"We're just friends," Trunks lied, but it appeared as though he were telling the truth – and even Bulla shook her head side to side, not approving of her brother's choice to hide his relationship from his family. But then again, she shouldn't judge him – after all, she was practically doing the same thing. To avoid prying parents.

"What about you, Bulla?" Bulla tensed, nearly jumping from her seat in shock; she was clearly not expecting the subject to fall upon her, as her eyes widened in fear – while secretly wondering what she should tell her mom.

Trunks looked down right amused, twisting his left corner of his lips into a satisfied smile as he secretly waited for Bulla to answer; more or less, he was excited to see what she would say in response.

To be brutally honest, Bulla was going to cry out in embarrassment: she had never told her mother she was taking anybody to the dance, so she could use that excuse. Bulla glanced in her father's direction; that moment, when she looked into his eyes, she knew that she would have to lie to escape Vegeta's wrath. After all, she was sure that he didn't know...

"I don't know," Bulla whispered quietly, avoiding everyone else's gazes.

"Well, you'll still have plenty of time to find someone." Since Bulma had interrogated her about her love life not too long ago, she practically nearly ended Bulla's life and saved it at the same time, which Bulla was thankful for. However, the subject was not going to get dropped so easy.

"I don't know about that. I'm sure Bulla already has someone in mind," Trunks said, smirking.

Bulla growled huskily, feeling quite annoyed that Trunks – for someone mature as he said he was – was going to start another fight; but she knew that she was not going to give him the satisfaction of an embarrassed reaction. Even though she was going to erupt from fear that Trunks was being that close to exposing her secret relationship, Bulla knew she shouldn't have anything to worry about.

"Well, I don't have time for boys," Bulla huffed out in reply.

"Except Goten," Trunks muttered, causing Bulla's blood to rush to her face, and tears to form into her eyes. Bulla knew that Trunks was in a playful mood, as he usually was when it came to dinner and food, but she was shell-shocked; did he really want to out her secret? Either case, Bulla felt embarrassed and hurt just the same.

The tension between the two could be easily sensed by the rest of the members at the table; Bulma knew that Trunks struck a chord, since she knew that Bulla was seeing Goten – but led her to believe that she had no idea, and to be strictly apparent, Bulma threw a hard gaze in Trunks' direction.

"Bulla, are you okay?" Bulma asked before anyone else could take advantage of the situation.

"I'm not hungry anymore," was all that Bulla said before leaving the table in a burst of tears that she was desperately trying to hide.

If Bulla thought things were bad again between her and Trunks, things were going to grow absolutely hellish for the both of them.

**:3 :3 :3 :3**

**~~ Yeah I know – not the best chapter in the world: but don't blame me, the muse in me wanted this to happen, even though the outburst between Trunks and Bulla at dinner occurred before, but hey: their sibling relationship is growing bad, so expect the next chapter to be sappy (in most terms of sense in the word LOL) in both Trunks' point of view and Bulla's – so don't go anywhere! Chapter 36 is next :) ~~**


	36. Operation Hakuna Matata

**Chapter 36**

The fact that Bulla was not a fighter, in the physical sense, couldn't be technically called a fact; more or less, it was the perseverance and the temper she had inherited from Vegeta that caused her to behave in such a violent way. For example, her HUGE anger was the very thing that Trunks feared, and he figured it had to do with her growing up as a woman, but he was dead wrong. Bulla appeared to be the clone of Bulma, with her sweet attributes showing through her cerulean blue eyes, and silky smooth sky blue hair. However, she appeared to be even less of a lady when her pride was at risk; now was one of those times.

Trunks had one of those feelings that he was about to be bitched at by his younger sister, and he always had a rational fear. Bulla was a force to be reckoned with, and she was not at all the little sister he had claimed he had loved at times. Since he only inherited the physical strengths of being a Saiyan, Bulla's genetics claimed the other side of the bargain: thus reminding him more of Vegeta – whom he was cowardly scared at times.

But since Bulla was a teenager, and her hormones would be growing out of control, she may as well be Trunks' personal hell coming to deal with his misfortunes. It was clearly obvious to everyone sitting down at the table that her temper was about to unleash; she was always known to have a short fuse. For someone who didn't fight, she had her way with words – which were going to be put down on Trunks.

Trunks just had to add that Bulla was a carbon copy of their mother – for instance, her physical appearance – but had a wicked temper like Vegeta, which he himself even feared Bulla.

And he also had to learn that there were times when she was right, but the worst end of the deal was when she was wrong; yet Trunks had to take the blame this time – just to make things right with Bulla. Half the time he had to gather up what was left of his pride and give it away to Bulla, just to make her happy; and he always wondered why he had to do so. During both of her childhood years and her preteen years, she acted like a complete brat, but yet again Trunks knew how pretentious he was at her age. But Trunks loved his sister, so he could have just used his love for her as an excuse.

But right now, he only felt instant guilt and fear as his sister SLAMMED the door of her brother's bedroom, as hard as she could – another manifestation of her strength. Trunks gulped, standing up straight and still as Bulla turned around... And just like a venomous snake, with a sudden urge to strike with no warning, she slapped her older brother in the face. It took Trunks by surprise as he felt the venom sink into his skin, and in a minute he could feel the burn.

"Ow," Trunks rubbed his cheek, which was still stinging. But Bulla did not say anything in response, as she – once again – took the liberty into slapping the crap out of him.

He could pretty much tell that Bulla was PISSED – simply because she was not saying anything. The anger in her eyes made it that much obvious, and not to mention the stature – her body resisting the urge to do so much more than a slap to the face. She was trying to repress her inner desires to beat her brother into submission, yet Bulla was battling her inner conscious. Even when she was mad, there could be next to no hope as to convincing her to calm down. Like she had no reason to listen.

Although Trunks had to come to a conclusion that she was still furiously upset, he knew that she may or may not slap him once more. He was the last person in the household that could ever predict of his younger sibling's next move, but Trunks could just use the excuse that he was not good at reading people's facial expressions.

Once again, Trunks felt Bulla's opposite hand slam against the other part of his face – and it stung at least ten times worse than the other; in fact, if it weren't for his intense training sessions with Vegeta, he would have had to say that Bulla was starting to become more intimidating than Vegeta: that she had come close as to being scared of her more than he was of Vegeta. Almost would be the overstatement of the year. "What is your problem?" Trunks, in retrospect, knew he should not have asked that question: even though there were times when his mouth would get the better of him. And he wondered where he inherited that trait from.

Bulla rolled her eyes at her older brother's remark – as though he were the dense one in the family, which even her parents had come to understand sometimes as though they could read his personality. She resisted the action to plant her hand right along the creases of her forehead, a sign of pure frustration: she knew that Trunks was just playing along, or that he was just seeking a reaction from her. She was pretty sure that if Trunks knew her at all, that he would know that Bulla's furious behavior was pretty easy to read: that she was too stubborn to react in such a manner that reveal her secret feelings she kept hidden.

"What's yours?" Bulla scoffed, trying to reign the beast that was threatening to unleash. If Trunks thought she was acting like a psychotic bitch before, he wouldn't have guessed what she was trying to unfold before him now.

"You're the one who has the problem, Bulla."

"Don't play dumb with me. You didn't seem to have much of a problem practically telling everyone at the table that I'm in love with your best friend." Bulla retorted with as much anger and frustration within her explanation; she knew as well as Trunks that he was well aware of Bulla's relationship – and the embarrassing dinner discussion.

"I don't see how it's much of a problem; in fact, you should be thanking me," Trunks scoffed.

"Why?"

Trunks sighed; it was like he was trying to explain this to a five year old – and Bulla may as well be one, since she acted as such some of the time. "Mom already knows, and Dad should have a right to know."

"Unlike you, I'm trying to protect Goten," Bulla fought back, as though she never heard what her brother said. "Unlike you, I actually care as to what would happen to him."

"By hiding him from Dad?"

"You're the one to talk – did you tell them that you're into Pan?" Bulla placed an eager hand on one side of her hip, as she asked this.

"I'm not going to procrastinate if that's what you mean," Trunks replied, sounding calm and not as if he was stunned by the question that ran in his direction.

"You're just as guilty as me, then." And just like that, the discussion was over – apart from Bulla's tone of voice, she exited with a certain attitude that would be equivalent to Vegeta's frustration, if not higher. Truth to the matter is, Trunks didn't exactly feel guilty – although he had to admit that he wished things turned out differently – since he was only put up to the task prior of the discussion at dinner. Who other than Pan?

_**:3 :3 :3 :3**_

_Just another day of carefree worry. Technically though, Trunks had the burden of Capsule Corporation riding on his shoulders so he should have a lot more to worry about. And to make things more technical, training with his father went much more brutal than usual – Trunks didn't exactly blame him, since there was a certain secret in the household that he HAD found out recently – did have to make Trunks rethink his whole "Hakuna Matata" moto. _

_Today was supposed to be carefree, but Trunks could have settled down with a simple date with his new girlfriend Pan. And to also be technical, it was her idea to have a date at the park – simple, but cute, which made Trunks tend to think that Pan wouldn't tend to make him uncomfortable in this relationship. _

_And his worries should have been washed away as he embraced Pan with a simple arm draped over her shoulders – enveloping her in some of his warmth; most people would have suggested that hot and cold combinations never mixed, but in this case, it did. Pan was too cold, even though she was bundled up in a red sweatshirt, a pair of black leggings and some Ugg boots to complete the combination. She should have been warm, but to Trunks' amusement, she never once complained about her body temperature. He – being a sweet guy – even suggested to buy some coffee, which did not go too well with Pan, since she was clever enough to see through Trunks' intentions of warming her up without even asking if she was cold. But Trunks had to admit that he enjoyed the way her lips curved in a pout, and the sparkle of annoyance in her eyes: he simply didn't find that attractive to him before, but circumstances were different. _

_Still, this didn't mean that the two of them weren't going to have their romantic time. Pan snuggled into Trunks with a grin on her face, which could pretty much be the sign saying that she was cold – therefore, cuddling with her all-time crush made it all the more obvious. The two of them even held hands, intertwining them as though they were gluing their hands together to make sure that they wouldn't ever let go. _

_Even though Trunks was comfortable of the arrangement, he knew that Pan was up to something; he knew her better than this, which would explain why he was feeling paranoid earlier, when he greeted her: she seemed way too happy for his taste. But at the time Trunks assumed it was because they were going on their second date, and he just had to let it go. But not this time. During the days of Pan's childhood, there were times when she acted like a big brat – and she was too clever to even recognize it at the time. All she cared about was getting what she wanted, and in that case Pan did, and she hardly even tried. So now, Trunks knew that there was something that Pan wanted him to do – either that or if she wanted the both of them to do. _

"_Trunks," Pan started off, sounding sweet and innocent. _

"_What?" Trunks tried so hard not to fall for the kindness in Pan's deep onyx eyes – normally he would never try to give in to any kind of suck-up, but since Pan was his girlfriend now, well, things were different. He even tried not to show his fear of Pan's soon-to-be intentions through his eyes, or worse: his body posture. But when one would be around someone like Pan, it was pretty darn difficult._

"_There's something I need to know."_

"_What is it?" For a second, Trunks actually nearly fell for the tone in Pan's voice – which sounded pretty hectic and anxious: but then again, he knew that she was using her acting skills (which amazed him greatly, since hardly anyone else, except for Goten, didn't fall for them)._

"_You told your parents about us, right?" Pan breathed in sharply, her curiosity rising every minute. _

"_Trust me; if I didn't tell them, they would have tried to set me up on a date – which they haven't." Trunks sucked big time at lying – even though Pan didn't pick up on him. Which made him feel a little guilty, considering that Pan probably told her parents about her relationship newly founded with Trunks, and they probably took it relatively well. _

"_Yeah, but who said you wouldn't not go on a date with one of them?" Pan raised her eyebrow, testing her boyfriend for a reaction._

"_Me," Trunks chuckled, but not after getting a slap on the arm from Pan. "Hey!"_

_Pan giggled, knowing that Trunks was indeed joking – and the fact that she "hurt" him was an overstatement. "That's what you get before you ever consider cheating on me."_

"_I wouldn't."_

_Pan kissed Trunks on the lips swiftly, but before Trunks could return it – like a gentleman should, in his opinion – Pan pulled away, causing Trunks to feel slightly frustrated by her actions. "What is it now?"_

"_It's... Bulla."_

"_What about her?" In terms of a balanced relationship, Trunks thought of the countless times of Bulla being with Goten, and him being with Pan: and to be honest, he thought it was weird... knowing that if Goten and Bulla did get married... technically, Trunks and Pan would be in-laws – therefore, their romantic involvement would become nothing more than incest. This was the only reason why Trunks didn't tend to think about marriage in the future – at least when it came to his little sister. _

"_Well... Do you think that she told your mom and dad?"_

_Trunks couldn't help but sigh; so this was what she wanted him to do. He knew how good-willed Pan was, and how she wanted to make everyone happy in any situation, but this was getting to be more than uncomfortable. Pan practically wanted him to scream out to Vegeta – even though he already knew – that Bulla was in an intimate relationship with Goten. Even though Vegeta could have assumed things when he was spying (Trunks wasn't that stupid – he was half-Saiyan, after all) on Bulla and Bulma's girl talk, it would make him even MORE furious to know that everyone else in the family knew – Trunks especially – since this relationship had been going on for at least three months. Well, it kind of depended, since Trunks didn't know until a month ago and had only been told so much by Pan: who swore at him (literally) not to tell anyone. Until now. _

"_Mom knows, and to be honest, she's taking it fairly well."_

"_No surprise there," Pan said, not looking fazed by the least. "What about Vegeta?"_

"_That's the problem." If Trunks wanted to sound like a smart-ass one more time, he had to go technical and think to himself that Vegeta's character was the problem: in the physical and mental aspect of it. His pride was one of the worst things that you could mess with, if you're in a relationship with Bulla, to be honest. Come to think of it, his pride and his physical obsession with training every day for most of the day would be the worst to come out of it. _

"_You can deal with him," Pan waved off her hand, trying to make Trunks to become more confident. _

"_Are you kidding me? You haven't seen him when Bulla practically kicked him out of the bathroom just to do her make-up one time." Pan couldn't help but giggle at her boyfriend's story. She knew that Bulla was the exact type of person to do that – regardless of any situation. _

"_See? You can handle him. Trust me: what's the worst that could happen?"_

_Trunks nudged his head to the side, with his facial expression pretty much reading, "Are you kidding me? Are you really asking me that?" But in Pan's eyes, he looked handsome: nothing could be further from the truth. _

"_And you can't tell them because..."_

"_Hello: they're not my parents. Besides, in terms of confidentiality, it shouldn't be my business."_

"_Yet you have the audacity to pressure me to tell Vegeta."_

"_Trunks, you grew up with the guy; surely, you're not telling me that you're STILL not used to his anger management problems?"_

"_You owe me a kiss for this."_

_And so, Pan gladly – and by gladly, I mean: proudly – kissed her boyfriend on the lips, only this time, Trunks maintained control. Something that Pan had to give him a pep talk about._

And if things were tense between Trunks and Bulla before (as in previous talks at the table during the past few months), their relationship was about to get worse as it turned out.

**:3 :3 :3 :3**

**~~ So, what you guys think? I even threw in some Pan and Trunks to keep you guys satisfied; but since I'm feeling nice, (don't I always represent the epitome of the behavioral nature of kindness) I'll throw in a lot more later. **

**Anyways, you'd think that Bulla would continuously have Trunks as the sheep goat in the family, but in reality, should the real person to blame be Pan?... Seriously: I wouldn't even know what her reaction would be if Bulla found out that Pan put Trunks up to this. Which is left to your imagination, I suppose. ~~**


	37. The Nasty Is Another Word For X

**~~ Hi my fabulous readers! Yes, yes, it's been a long time: Christmas was hectic, I had my final exams in January, and I was somewhat busy with Music Festival pieces – so author's block is NOT an excuse this time ;) **

**Anyways, I hope you'll like this chapter: it's got plenty of Bulla and Goten – which you guys are so desperate to see, LOL. ~~**

**:3 :3 :3**

**Chapter 37**

It's amazing how one person could remain ever-so pissed, in other words the usual attitude, for so long. Even if that person always had that powerful, gloating and especially stubborn look from first impressions.

But to the Briefs family, they were never surprised by the one man's antics. As far as they were concerned, he always acted like he was going to mutilate someone in their sleep. And he may as well be the type to do that because once upon a time, he was once a murderer working for a cruel tyrant beyond doubt.

Yet there was only one person that was never afraid to challenge this guy, apart from Bulma herself. Ironically, it was their daughter, who contained the same amount of pride, stubborn willpower and sass. However, most of the time there was never even a victor – both Bulla and Vegeta ran back to their sides without the satisfaction of victory.

But things were different – when it came to occasional training between the both of them, there was always fighting back and forth, not necessarily being an end to the fight.

"Look at the sorry excuse I have for a child. Sitting about on the floor. You keep slacking off!"

Bulla panted repeatedly, as she also formed sweat quite easily – raining down her back, her face and other parts of her body. To be honest, she was really exhausted, but it had only been an hour since their training session began. Bulla even began to wonder why she even agreed to fight every once in a while. She glanced up at her sire, instantly being reminded by the man wearing a grumpy pout on his face as well as an unimpressed expression. She narrowed her azure eyes in retaliation. He was the reason.

"Does this mean that you're going to start accepting pity from other people?"

Vegeta scoffed. "Don't be absurd. Pitying is for the weak."

"Yet you're clearly feeling sorry for me! That has to mean something!" Bulla squeaked out immediately after her father's words.

"It only means you're an idiot. I do not feel sorry for anyone."

"Then I pity the people who has to feel sorry for you!"

"I never asked anyone to give a damn about me."

Bulla smirked. "Then how did you get married to Mom?"

Vegeta looked flustered for a few moments, a deep reddening colour shading his cheeks. However, this did not last more than ten seconds as he was about to retort a logical argument.

"You really don't want me to answer that."

"What is there to not tell me? You did the nasty with her and that's how you got Trunks," Bulla snorted, slowly getting up from the floor in the gravity room.

"That doesn't make you intelligent. It only makes you far less stupid to notice the obvious."

"If you're done giving me compliments, don't we have training to finish?"

"I'll have you know that I do not compliment anyone. Ever."

"Not even Mom's skill in the bedroom?" Bulla snickered, grabbing a fresh, clean towel and a bottle of water before leaving her father in a horrible mood – more so than he usually was.

Bulla cracked a grin. That meant that she won this round. And what better could she celebrate this rare moment of victory than spend it with her boyfriend?

**:3 :3 :3**

"Mom, I've gotta go. I've got other things to do right now." Goten sighed, holding his wireless telephone within his reach. "I promise that I'll talk to you later. Okay. Okay. Yeah. I love you too, Mom. Bye."

Goten slumped on the onyx, leather couch in the living room – nearly passing out as a result. He loved his mother, but sometimes it took a lot of one's energy to deal with someone like her: Goku probably took it the hardest, but he also loved her and never once tried to leave. This goes to show that Goten's family ran its own course – and it was amazing that they had stayed glued together after years and years of evil interrupting peace on Earth.

Twenty minutes after his shower did he ever embark on a conversation with Chi Chi: he knew that she was desperate for company, seeing as her husband was gone training somewhere again. Even Goten didn't think that it was fair for his mother to deal with the repercussions. But then again, she was one of the toughest women he had ever had the pleasure – or displeasure, depending on how he would look at it – of knowing.

A set of gorgeous blue eyes, beautiful opaque skin, and pin-straight azure hair popped straight into Goten's mind, and he couldn't hold back the smile. He couldn't help but think of the girl that caught his attention for a long time now. Bulla was without a doubt someone that could stand out – regardless of her appearance.

He knew that he liked her because of her personality – she was fierce, determinate and was sweet – if one really got to know her quite well.

And speaking of... she was heading over to his apartment anytime now, which was probably the only reason why Goten even bothered to get up in the morning. He knew that Bulla had training with Vegeta, but Bulla promised Goten that she would make time for him by visiting him in his apartment after said training. And this was usually once a week, and thus the tradition between the romantic pairing had begun.

However, another charity function took the Briefs family by surprise, which made it difficult for Bulla to focus between Goten himself and the function that her family was to host.

Goten didn't blame Bulla at all, for the lack of time they had shared together recently. If anything, he always imagined what Bulla would look like at the gala... he knew that he was imagining some perverse and possibly creepy thoughts, but Goten couldn't help it. Bulla had attracted him from the start and there was no way in hell to possibly pull away.

This was what love felt like, as it always popped up between him and Bulla during certain times. When talking on the phone, Goten still felt that warm feeling possess his insides and the need to smile during conversations with her. In person, they'd greet each other with a kiss that held so much emotion and passion as well as when they'd pull away the sparkle in each other's eyes were an obvious sign that they held love. Even the jokes they shared made their lives easier, a little more care-free. And he had a feeling that he wasn't the only one who felt much happier during those little things; even holding hands ignited a deeper spark. Of course the only girl that he had to compare Bulla to was Valese, but Goten wasn't even sure if he should even bring her up anymore.

Goten shook his head to clear any thoughts of his ex-girlfriend. He was over her now. He wasn't going to start having random fantasies about girls that he wasn't interested in anymore.

The rampant knock on his door brought him back to reality. Goten immediately fled to the door, knowing it was probably Bulla.

However, as he opened it, lips were plastered on top of his in an act of speed and aggression. Goten's eyes were still widened in shock but his intuition was right: Bulla was kissing him like there was no tomorrow. Goten pulled Bulla inside of his apartment, before returning her ravishing kiss. Sparks were ignited within him, and he wanted to take it to the next level. Bulla's tongue prodded him to open his lips open, but there was no choice in the matter – she had done it by force. Goten felt a rush consume parts of his body, as he gripped his hands tighter unto Bulla's waist. He never remembered being in a relationship when a kiss turned into a wrestling match, but Goten liked it: he couldn't say they were going too fast, seeing as the both of them were willing enough to keep up with the match. He groaned, as Bulla's tongue explored the deep caverns, and even managed to tease his own osculate by poking it a couple of times. She was really asking for it now.

Even their lips were fighting against each other with ecstasy flowing through between them. Bulla also moaned in pleasure as Goten's hands were roaming all over her body... To her, she felt safe, well-guarded and extremely precious when he was touching her. Bulla knew that lust wasn't on his mind. He was holding her softly, and his hands weren't hard and calloused. To her, she felt special whenever she was around him.

But as much as Bulla wanted to continue this, she – like any other biotic being on Earth – had to breathe in oxygen. She involuntarily broke off from the kiss. She was not disappointed whatsoever from her bold move, and for Goten's immediate reaction (as they had never tried to go that fast before), and even her exhaustion was worth it.

"I'm guessing that Vegeta was pushing you hard again," Goten joked, whispering against her lips as they leaned their foreheads against each other – as though the action itself could provide each other with warmth and comfort.

"When does he not?" Bulla cracked a small contorted grin. "Every time I tell him to back off, he's already trying to exceed my limits."

"How about I try telling him to back off? I can easily force him to stop going so hard on you," Goten caressed his lips against Bulla's, uniting them once more in a sweet bond. Bulla returned it, but didn't go much further than a tilt of the head to better access.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think even you can remove the stick that's shoved up so far in his butt."

Before either of them knew it, they started to giggle, vivacious fantasies filling up their minds in just a matter of seconds.

"So you came over here to release all your hatred for the man who kicked your butt into next week on me?" Goten chuckled as the two of them made their way into the living room to relax on his smooth, leather furniture they called a couch.

Bulla groaned in relaxation, feeling the soft material flush against her sore back – as well as her rear end. She would kill, however, to find out what hot water would feel against her skin. "I guess you could say I came over to find a way to relax."

"Don't you have massages where you come from?"

Bulla flashed Goten a full Cheshire grin. "Of course I do. Only that they don't do much good. And the spa workers don't do a good enough job."

Before Bulla could comprehend Goten's next move, she found her back adjacent to Goten's chest.

"Then why not hire me?"

"Are you sure you're qualified?"

"Very much so."

Bulla smirked. "Then let's see what you've got."

Goten blew slightly into Bulla's ear, his breath slightly minty which grew goose bumps on her skin. "My pleasure."

What he did next took her by astonishment; he carefully lifted most of her cerulean blue strands of hair over her shoulder – which again, a shiver of pleasure ran down her spine.

Bulla was waiting heavily in anticipation, her breaths coming out in short pants. Goten smirked. She was just waiting for him, but he knew it would be much more fun if he tortured her for a little bit. Yet at the same time Goten knew that Bulla wouldn't appreciate teases.

And so he decided to spoil her with a massage; his hands latched unto her shoulders, sequentially rubbing them continuously in circles with enough pressure for Bulla to feel.

She gasped, feeling the rocks in her shoulder muscles slowly dissipate... Then his hands started to lower to her upper back where more aches and pains resided.

Bulla growled softly. It all felt too good... what Goten was doing to her. He simply aroused her to the point that she could literally not take it anymore, but her inner conscience told her to let him do his work.

Per contra, her resolve was starting to fade as she felt butterfly kisses being placed on her left shoulder. She felt like her heart was about to explode from her chest, as it was beating expeditious.

"Goten...I don't think... that your patients would..." Bulla whimpered, feeling his lips pressing themselves to her other shoulder – doing the same treatment.

"You are my only patient right now."

"You sneaky, conniving little..." Just then, Bulla sighed in contentment as Goten roughly hit a twisted muscle on her lower back – and once again, he massaged the area many times over.

To her dismay, roughly about ten minutes later, Goten put a stop to his therapeutic technique.

Bulla bit her lip, trying to hide a whine of disappointment. Yet all she could have thought about was how he got the hands to do something like that to her? It felt amazing... and she relaxed quickly in a matter of seconds.

"You tease." That was all that needed to be said before they started to attack each other with their lips, alternative relaxation methods being thrown out the window as they did so.

**:3 :3 :3**

The end of their date – if one could call it that – ended in slight disappointment. Bulla and Goten had indeed talked for a while, mostly about the upcoming gala; Bulla refused to acquiesce Goten's request to see her in a dress early, much less than telling him what she was planning to wear.

But as time flew by, Bulla realized she had to get going – leaving her boyfriend in a fake rendition of tears and sadness. After giving him a kiss goodbye, he seemed to perk up almost instantly.

She didn't give any sympathy toward her boyfriend, although giving him what he wanted was the only thing that could cheer him up. She knew as well as he that he was joking, which made it so much more amusing to herself.

Bulla took a deep breath of the clean, fresh air as she continued to walk back to her house. She was feeling nothing but happiness, which wasn't something she usually felt anymore. Bulla never tended to relax as much as she should have either but look at how much time passed, as well as being with Goten, which changed things for her.

That was what it felt like to be in love; everything seemed to make so much more sense. She became much happier during her days with Goten, and it was as though her whole body and soul had become nothing but light-weight.

Bulla knew that she was in love with Goten now. Yet the few months that had passed since their get-together left little to the imagination. Only that either one of them said the three infamous words; but it wasn't true.

Which was why she was going to be taking Goten by surprise at the gala; she was going to be saying them first, mostly because she asked Pan of the situation (or lack of) last weekend. Since Bulla had no instinctive choices, she went to her best friend. She could have went to Marron, but she was out of town on a vacation with her family. Anyways, Bulla wanted to be totally romantic and telling him – possibly while dancing – that way would make things much simpler for the both of them. But it would also make great fun – amongst other things – in the future.

**:3 :3 :3**

**~~ I promise things are going to pick up next chapter: so you may as well hate me now, seeing as the next chapter is partially in Valese's point of view. **

**Trust me – that girl doesn't have anything good planned for Bulla and Goten 0_0. **

**But please review: I thrive on them, and I'd update faster too :) ~~**


	38. Fat Is Spelled With A P

**~~ Just one quick note here; I know it seems kind of obvious, but in this chapter Valese is REALLY acting desperate – more or less OBSESSIVE. Apparently, she doesn't know when to quit... at least in future chapters :P ~~**

**Chapter 38**

Miss Valese never once took kindly to a man who hurt her reputation or to a man who never saw fit to care for her. She put that thought in her mind at all times when searching for a boyfriend or in the midst of breaking up with one. Although there was one time in her life that Valese ignored this trait: when she fell in love with Goten. She's still in love with him and she was never planning on giving him up.

Even though she wasn't a religious person, she still believed in guardian angels and soul mates. In her mind, the only person she saw herself marrying was Goten. It was as though they had a deep connection – Valese knew that – and things were perfect. At least, until what happened next.

Their relationship was good until the point when Valese had a feeling that Goten was hiding something from her... At first she tried to ignore this and tried to spend as much time as she could with Goten feeling happy and carefree. Yet her feelings could not be shrugged off like they were mosquitoes. In time, Valese just blatantly asked what the problem was with her boyfriend. And it was the first time that he lied to her – that she could so obviously detect. That was when the happiness that she held at the time started to fade, and that was around the time whenever Valese and Goten hung out, they faked their love for each other. All what their relationship was, was just a depressing state of eternal gloominess. It was like neither one of them cared. In Valese's opinion, it was as though Goten didn't care – and her affections were only one-sided.

And this was three months ago, or something to that effect.

And three months was enough to conjure up a plan to get her boyfriend back.

And three months was enough to get that bitch out of the picture.

Sure Valese was surely facing a risk – taking out the daughter of the Briefs' just for a man's affection but she didn't care. This was her future husband she was talking about. She wasn't going to give him up. She wasn't going to be alone for the rest of her life – Goten was the only one who ever seemed to spend time with her.

Was she going overboard? No. Goten was the one who made her truly ecstatic with joy. He was the only one who filled her up with care and love, and he was the only one who made her return those affections with ease.

This was one of the many plans that Valese had to ensure that Goten will come back to her; although she did need a lot of help calculating the chances of any of her ideas would work. Which was why she contacted her old friend Jack.

Jack was many things; cold, calculating, smart and especially brave. Brave enough to start a fight no questions asked. He was another person that cared for Valese in so many levels, but even Jack knew that she couldn't return them; because he wasn't the man that Valese wanted.

Yet even if none of their plans would work, Valese would turn to Jack in the end.

The plan was very straight forward. All Valese had to do was show up at Goten's mother's house with a sob story; it had to be a convincing one – otherwise, that plan may as well be blown up into smithereens.

And Valese had the perfect story to tell: discovering that she was pregnant with Goten's baby, all the while the "bump" she was showing was merely padding that looked like a baby bump that could fool anyone into believing her story. Not to mention that Valese could perform as she would behave sadly in reality. She made herself look perfect – her skin was as pale as death itself, as well as 'evidence' of crying became quite obvious through tears smearing her eye makeup. As long as she stuck to the script, Valese knew that she would be just fine.

Valese couldn't help but grin, her heart pumping and the blood flowing quickly through her veins.

She wondered if Goten's mother – or father, depending on who answered the door – would possibly be fooled.

She smirked; she was about to go find out.

Valese took three confident strides up to the front door, knocking on the door three times before patiently waiting.

**:3 :3 :3**

One couldn't even call it a fact if someone did something to piss off Chi Chi; it was an understatement.

At 8:30 in the morning, someone knocking on her door as though they didn't understand the concept of the time period, Chi Chi was trying to sleep. She knew her worst fear was coming true – growing older had its disadvantages: such as becoming more tiring and exhausted. Yet at the same time, it was good for her to just lay back and rest – trying not to worry about what kind of demonic plague would inhabit the earth, and what would happen to her husband and two sons.

Chi Chi yawned, rubbing her eyes – which were starting to itch – before opening the door.

She blinked slowly, trying to process the sight in front of her.

Of course, she knew who it was and to be honest, Chi Chi hoped that she would hardly ever have to see her again.

Although the mess that she was seeing right now was enough for her to make a double-check; the first thing that Chi Chi noticed was the tear-brimmed eyes. Chi Chi knew that she was crying, or at least, she recently had been. Her eyes, which were once deep as chocolate, were now depressing and filled with fear and anxiety. Her hair was ruffled, her cheeks were stained with redness and ruined make-up. Chi Chi didn't know what to think until she had a good look at the girl.  
But what Chi Chi noticed as she glanced her up and down... was that... she put on some weight. Chi Chi frowned. She wasn't even sure what was Valese doing here, of all people. Unless...

"Mrs. Son?" Valese whispered, her voice sounding distressed and parched.

Chi Chi was right. The girl had been crying.

"What do you want?" Chi Chi nearly had to grit her teeth, hold unto her anger just from hearing this girl talk; although the lack of sleep was probably the real reason why Chi Chi was cranky.

Valese swallowed hard. "It's not about what I want. It's about Goten."

Chi Chi raised an ebony eyebrow in a skeptic motion. "I'm sorry, but Goten's not here. He's at his apartment."

Valese pursed her pale thin lips in response. "How would you feel... knowing that you're pregnant?"

Chi Chi froze; her breath nearly coming out in long, exasperated pants. Her eyes expanded in shock, as her heart started to beat. At first, she was astonished. Then, she was turning to be furious...

Chi Chi's eyes began to boil with anger and rage, that it even caused Valese to look a little frightened.

"You cannot be serious," Chi Chi stated – her voice neither sounding cold or welcoming.

Valese shook her head. "The baby is Goten's. I haven't been with anyone else that way," Valese glanced away, her cheeks starting to turn a deeper shade of red.

Chi Chi was reluctant to believe Valese's story; she herself knew – just knew – when she was pregnant with her boys. And she had a tendency to detect people's stories: and right now, she couldn't even trust her gut to tell her if Valese was lying or not.

"And you are positively sure that it is my son's baby?" Chi Chi fixed her gaze solely upon Valese's – as though she were trying to strangle her with her eyes.

"I can't be more sure than I have in my life. I haven't been with anyone else," Valese wiped the tears from her eyes, which were threatening to fall from her eyelids. "I just came to find Goten. I couldn't find him at his apartment, so I didn't know where else to look. And I didn't know what else to do except go to you."

"Surely you could have gone to your parents."

"I can't even call them my parents anymore. Not after what they've done."

Then Chi Chi realized what Valese was trying to do; but since she may be pregnant – meaning that there was a slight possibility (as of that moment, Chi Chi was still reluctant to accept it) – Chi Chi knew that she wasn't going to act all anal on the girl.

If this baby truly was Goten's – if it even existed at all – then Chi Chi knew something; it was part Saiyan, and she knew the baby had to be raised in an environment where BOTH parents knew of its heritage.

To her complete astonishment, Chi Chi knew that Valese had to be aware of some things – meaning that Chi Chi had to somewhat tell her that Goten wasn't really human. Chi Chi.. had to accept that Valese was family now. Even though that this baby would be born under wedlock.

"Come in. I'll try to reach Goten; meanwhile, you get something to eat."

What the hell was Chi Chi going to do now?

**:3 :3 :3**

The fact that Valese came out the victor didn't surprise her. To be honest, even though she felt relieved and quite pleased that Chi Chi had taken the bait, Valese felt as though that it was going to take a lot more than a pregnancy story to gain her trust.

This was one of the many things Valese had in mind to get her boyfriend back. Her rightful boyfriend... her soon to be husband...

But there were certain complications that caused her dreams to shatter. Or at least, be put temporarily on hold.

Valese frowned in detest... If things go according to plan, then Jack would take care of the girl...

Then maybe... just maybe... her and Goten will live a happy ending.

**:3 :3 :3**

Meanwhile, back at Capsule Corp, things couldn't possibly be more "weird" as the Briefs family, excluding Bulla, put it.

Bulla's sudden change in behavior – turning from narcissist/sarcastic to relaxed, easy going and down-right sweet in nature – attracted practically everyone's attention. Especially Vegeta's.

He knew. He knew damn where she was going – and he could practically smell HIS stench on her. Vegeta continued to eat his meal in silence, though keeping a watchful gaze on his youngest child.

He was not pleased with her relationship with Goten . However, since Vegeta's original plan was out of the question – and by "out of the question", he meant that Bulma threatened him (and she THREATENED him) to leave Bulla alone – there wasn't much else except to talk to his daughter about it. Either that, or leave things the way they were – which was difficult since Vegeta could only think of nasty images revolving around his daughter and Goten.

This topic of discussion revolving around boys was more or less awkward; Vegeta never once started a conversation – only talking to it with Bulma after Bulla cleared the room – and neither did Bulla. Vegeta didn't even know if she was just stubborn or just a coward, simply because either way she was avoiding the subject.

Vegeta knew his daughter was smart; he probably wasn't going to make a physical effort as to why Bulla would ever consider seeing Goten. After overhearing some certain conversations, Vegeta nearly had a spazz attack: at the time, he considered killing anything in his path and for weeks after... that was until Bulma told him – the previous day in fact – something that made him reconsider his actions.

"_Explain this to me Vegeta; who would you rather see Bulla with? Goten or some other human boy?"_

To be perfectly honest, he didn't even frucking think of that. Although, after one week of intense mental training, Vegeta had to say that – with a large part of his pride sacrificed – he would rather see her with Goten; since there were next to no Saiyans apart from Kakarot's family and his own, Vegeta knew that the Saiyan race would have to be preserved in some shape or form.

"So I was thinking... since it has been a long time for having a real dinner, I invited Goku and the gang over for supper tomorrow night," Bulma proposed, glancing in every member of the family's eyes – especially Bulla's, as a secret hint. "That is, if you guys don't have any plans."

Bulla smiled. "I'll be there."

Regardless to what other people believed, Bulla and Bulma – as well as Trunks – had a secret conversation in the city a week ago.

Bulma told her daughter that her relationship with Goten had to be in the open somehow and this supper with the whole gang would be the best time; not only would it provide a cover-up excuse, but it would also give Bulla and Goten a chance to proclaim their love for each other: something that both the Briefs family and the Son family would hear at the same time.

And the only reason Trunks was forced to listen to this conversation was that he had to be extremely willing to confess his relationship with Pan as well; although it may or may not happen – since the secret of Goten and Bulla's relationship would come as a shock. It didn't matter to Trunks: someday he would have to tell his family, as well as Pan's.

"I think I can slack off from the paperwork I was planning to do tomorrow," Trunks said.

"You're always slacking off," Bulla rolled her eyes – taking another bite out of the Casa Di Mama pepperoni pizza that her mother ordered from the local pizza cafe.

"Are you kidding? You are so lazy that it wouldn't take me long to beat you in a fight."

Bulla frowned, setting her cutlery on the table so she could defend her pride. "You are kidding yourself Trunks. You don't even train as much as you used to."

"I have a company to run, little sis. One day, you'll be taking over the reins."

"When that day comes, I'm going to be far more greater at being boss than you."

Trunks scoffed. "When that day comes, Elmo is going to be president of the United States."

Therefore, the daily argument between elder brother and so naïve little sister had ended – thus the Briefs family continued to eat in silence.

**:3 :3 :3**

**~~ Next chapter: (Summary):**

**Goku's family going over to the Briefs for dinner, the next day, as well as other events occur during that time period. **

**I hope you like this chapter! Please review :) ~~**


	39. The Couple Most Likely To Do THAT

**Chapter 39**

"DON'T KISS HER, YOU ASSHOLE! YOU ALREADY HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!" Bulla screeched savagely, throwing the remaining contents of the bowl – that had poorly developed popped kernels of corn – at the television screen; though there was not any point as to doing that. She sighed frustratingly as the couple in the movie continued to move in closer... continued to forget all their problems... just for a make-out session.

Pan also sighed heavily, not surprised that her friend's behavior toward the movie turned from mockery to anger and outright protectiveness toward the female protagonist.

When Pan suggested having a sleepover at Bulla's place the night before the dinner, merely to set the mood for the romantic declaration, there was nothing else either of them wanted to do more than watch movie marathons.

Yet Pan knew that it was a mistake when it came to suggesting the genres: if Pan wanted to watch a comedy, all Bulla was going to do was mock the whole damn movie. If Pan wanted to watch a romantic drama... that was an entirely different story.

For some reason, Bulla was more into love stories when the man and the woman couldn't be together, like Tristan and Isolde and Romeo & Juliet. And Pan knew that this was before Bulla and Goten were even together at that point. Either that her character – her general outlook on romance and how every girl should be treated right by the guy – was the reason why Bulla spazzed out on nearly every movie they had seen thus far, or that there was something else that was bothering Bulla.

Come to think of it, the relationship between the love interests in the movie was indeed related to Bulla and Goten's relationship; the girl easily attracted the interest of a close friend, even though that said boy had a girlfriend.

"Gee. I wonder where I've seen that before," Pan rolled her eyes sarcastically, trying to dodge a fiery gaze – cast from Bulla's direction. However, what also occurred was the fact that Bulla managed to get a good throw in at her friend, whose head was now covered in popcorn.

"I bet that's what Valese shouted from the distance, every time that you guys manage to steal a kiss," Pan snickered.

"Screw you!" Bulla narrowed her eyes, spitting out anger and detestation – her rather rash feelings for Goten's ex-girlfriend had always been shown quite obviously.

"I don't think it's me you want to screw," Pan chuckled, seeing Bulla's face turn a crimson red – a sign of pure embarrassment. This pleased Pan to an extent: seeing as she was the second person in Bulla's world that could match her audacity for language.

"S-shut up." And with that, Bulla turned away from her friend, who looked more curious than amused.

"I take it that you and Goten didn't make it all the way to home base."

Bulla scrunched her lips, as well as her eyebrows, as she turned around slightly to look at Pan with a confused expression on her face.

Pan blinked, noticing her best friend's expression. She wasn't too surprised that Bulla didn't know what this 'baseball analogy' meant (in terms of private situations). But still, this meant that Pan still could be amused that Bulla never heard this phrase before.

"Oh my God: you don't even know what that means!" Pan giggled. Bulla flushed in extreme harassment, not putting an end to her friend's constant teasing.

Bulla was not ever sexually active until the time Bulla and Goten started to date. Even then that was months ago; Bulla finally realized what Pan was playing at. She was insinuating that she and Goten... were doing it. An even darker shade of red presented itself on her cheeks as she thought about it. God knew how much Bulla wanted Goten, yet they never did much more than intense make-out sessions and cuddling. But she was perfectly comfortable with it, at the same time. It was like her inner conscience was fighting against her hormones. And neither side were winning. Yet there were no promises that no one was going to win that war.

But Pan did have to bring up the painfully embarrassing subject of sex. If Bulla wanted to... thus making things even between them... she would use Pan's tricks to her own advantage. Bulla smirked, but her facial features were still flush with crimson red.

"What about you and Trunks? Surely one of you must have seduced the other."

"And you think that, when I talk about you and Trunks, is embarrassing?" Pan grumbled, hiding her face in the mass amount of blankets that once served to cover the teenaged girls.

"And you think it's normal to think about your best friend dating your uncle?" Bulla raised an eyebrow, waiting patiently for Pan's response.

"And it's not embarrassing to think about your brother dating your best friend?" Pan snorted.

To be honest, Bulla didn't think about the situations between all four of them much: she figured it was because of the upcoming dance that she had to partially plan out, and the fact that being deeply in love was taking its toll on her.

Yet Bulla couldn't help but picture what things would be like if her and Pan married. She knew that they would all be family no matter what, but when it came to thinking about the technical terms of marriage and the in-laws... that would be a little awkward, but in general, Bulla didn't think too much of the supposed 'awkward in-law classification'.

"It's a little weird, but I'd gotten used to it."

"Would your parents?" Pan raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Dad wouldn't. Mom would. Although she would try to get Dad to accept that Goten will be apart of the family -"

Before Bulla could continue droning on about her opinion, Pan interrupted, "He will?"

Bulla flushed a scarlet blush, once again, falling silent immediately. "You know what I mean."

"I can already picture it. You and Goten will get married, I'll tell you that much. You guys are made for each other."

Although those words of wisdom were supposedly trying to make Bulla feel good about the future, and the relationship with Goten still intact, it didn't do much except make Bulla think. Sometimes, she still thought that she wasn't good enough for Goten. Yet that thought came to an end because Bulla would quickly realize why would she go act all insecure for? If any part of what she thought secretly was true, then why did Goten leave Valese for her? One time, a voice whispered within her, saying that he was only with her because of mere pity. But Bulla didn't get affected by it too much – the voice never returned.

"Are we?" Bulla whispered to herself, feeling self-pity rising in her heart. As much as she wanted to believe Pan, there was always something that was stopping her from fully being bold and fearless. That fear of losing Goten was still on Bulla's mind. And she never wanted that to happen. He was the only guy that made her feel cherished and loved, beyond friendship.

"Bulla?"

"Oh? I'm sorry – I had the movie on pause. Come on, we may as well finish it now," Bulla snapped out of her midnight reverie, as she went back to starting the movie again.

But even Pan wasn't oblivious to her sudden change in behavior.

**:3 :3 :3**

"Mom? What are you doing here? I thought you were getting ready to go to Bulma's," Goten said in surprise at the sight of his mother, who looked like she had aged suddenly overnight. But it would be a HUGE mistake if he ever told Chi Chi that. Instead, he was going to be the caring son that he was and listen to what his mom had to say.

To be honest, it was hard not to stare at her; it was as though she never got a good sleep in months. Her eyes seemed like bottomless pits of charcoal instead of the fiery rage-filled raven hues they normally were. Chi Chi's complexion was worse in a way; her skin looked fragile, pale (even more so than snow) and hadn't been washed. It was as though Chi Chi never cared once about her appearance in some time.

"I will, son. There are things that I have to take care of first."

And with that, an uncomfortable silence flew over them – engulfing the both family members in an awkward situation. Goten could feel that his mother was hiding something from him; whatever was bothering her must have had something to do with him.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing too troubling. Although at first it's a big shock."

"What are you talking about?"

Chi Chi was quiet for a minute or two before starting the pinpoint of the main conversation. "Have you always wanted a family, Goten?"

Goten couldn't answer that question. Mostly because he was shocked about the question being thrown in his direction without any warning. Either that, or he supposed that he didn't have an answer.

Goten never saw himself finding a wife: most of his teenage years consisted of dating all around, trying to be a normal teenager even though he could never be one. He never once thought about settling down and raising kids. Until the time Bulla caught his interest. He actually glimpsed a small picture of the both of them having a child, and Goten didn't think of anything bad about it. To be honest, he wouldn't mind raising a family with her... After all, he loved her.

"You might just get one."

Goten blushed, knowing the insinuations behind Chi Chi's words. Goten and Bulla never got intimate INTIMATE. Even so, they wouldn't start having babies right away. Even though Goten may come across as a dense person sometimes, it didn't mean that he was stupid.

"Wait. What do you mean 'I might just get one'. What aren't you telling me?"

"Valese came over the other day. She wanted to speak to you," Chi Chi pursed her lips in a straight, grim line. "She said that she tried going to your apartment, but you weren't there."

The topic of Valese wasn't exactly something that Goten wanted to talk about; especially in the early months of their breakup. "What did she want?"

"She said that she's pregnant, Goten."

At first, Goten wanted deny everything that was going on. He wanted to deny the fact that his mother may be telling the truth. But there were no words that could escape his mouth.

"And you believed her?"

"Are you taking me for a fool, Goten? I'm not even sure if what she was saying was true. However, the baby bump was clearly showing. So what did you expect me to think?" Chi Chi placed her hands on her hips firmly, leaning in slightly to confront her son.

"What do you want me to think of all this?"

"Just see what can be done about this. I may be old enough to be a grandmother, but that doesn't mean that the first person that I want one from would be Valese." And with that, that statement was the clear sign of her distaste of the old girlfriend. Goten did have hunches before, but he didn't hear his mom explicitly say that she disliked her. Period.

"I'll... look into it."

"Good. I wouldn't want Bulla to be caught up in all of this."

"W-what?" Goten stuttered.

"How clueless do you think I am? I would have expected that you would tell me that you're seeing Bulla now. Instead, I have to hear it from Bulma. Doesn't this generation have any honesty?"

"Mom, I was planning to tell you. I was going to tell you about it at Bulma's house tonight."

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised. Bulla is a nice girl... and from a rich family. When are the two of you getting married?"

Goten groaned; the hostile gravity of the uncomfortable talk completely gone. Instead, it just morphed into an awkward conversation revolving Goten's opinion about marriage.

**:3 :3 :3**

**~~ And so the drama is starting to heat up. ^_^**

**Just saying; Goten and Chi Chi (especially Chi Chi, as she can't detect Ki levels) have every right to be worried. But what would Bulla think if she found out? 0_o **

**Anyways, sorry if this chapter seems 'filler' but the next one should be moving right along. Next up – dinner with the Briefs family! :) **

**Please leave a review! ~~**


	40. The Maury Polvich Show

**~~ Before we go on with this chapter, I made a mistake last chapter: I meant to say that Chi Chi will be a grandmother of GOTEN'S first kid. Thanks Miss Katrina Malfoy for pointing this out :)**

**Now, let's get on with chapter 40! ^_^ ~**

**Chapter 40**

In Pan's opinion, Goten's abilities to pick up any other Ki signal wasn't as keen as he hoped it out to be. But then again, she didn't exactly blame him: after all, the conversation that she had JUST heard... the talk with his mother... it made her furious to say the least. Pan's reaction started out as astonished and surprised, but it quickly turned into a frenetic rage: Pan was so angry, that she almost had the urge to come out of her hiding spot to confront Goten right then and there.

Pan growled, sitting down on her bed – still feeling quite annoyed of the situation. Her heart was pacing as though she were anxious. Pan secretly hoped that Goten wouldn't have to be a baby daddy. At least, out of all people with Valese... Just hearing her uncle's ex-girlfriend's name made her uneasy. Pan was still a little reluctant to accept the information that she heard. But what if Valese really was pregnant? What would happen with Bulla and Goten?

Pan sighed, feeling more overwhelmed than anything else. She desperately wanted to tell her best friend, but an inner battle lit within her. It should be Goten: he should be the one to tell her. If Bulla heard it from someone else... Pan knew that Bulla would be heartbroken. Pan had always been sure that Bulla's heart always belonged to Goten.

Yet there was still a miniscule possibility that Goten still had feelings for Valese.

What went wrong? If... If what Pan was saying was true, then... what made Goten want to go to Bulla? What made Goten want to go and do the nasty with Valese?

Pan shook her head in disbelief. She wasn't going to let herself believe this pregnancy story. She wasn't going to believe it. If Goten said it out straight to everyone else in the family, then Pan.. she wouldn't know what to do. If it really was true, then Pan could do nothing for Bulla. Goten would have to tell her; and it would make Bulla upset. To be honest, Pan wouldn't picture Bulla angry at all.. Just saddened, silent and heartbroken.

And who knew how long it would take for Goten to tell everybody, that was the thing; not to mention if his relationship with Bulla would still be holding. Even if they didn't break up, it would be continuously strained – when Goten had to go and help take care of the kid.

What was Pan going to do?

The dinner at Capsule Corp was going to start in an hour...

Would Goten pretend to be happy? Would Goten NOT tell Bulla? But then again, she would notice that something was up.

At that point, their relationship was already strained before they could reveal it to everybody eating.

Damn it! How could Goten do this to her? Even if it was a lie, Bulla didn't deserve to be put through this: she didn't know yet... That led Pan to thinking more heavily. If Goten didn't tell her, then Pan would have to have a talk with him. That was all that she could do at this point in time. Pan didn't want to interfere in their relationship... And speaking of relationships, she also thought about Trunks.

His reaction to this news would be severe – and Vegeta would be furious too once he found out. No: it would be more likely that he would kill Goten thousands of times just for breaking Bulla's heart. Bulma... she would be disappointed to be sure, but she wouldn't react like Trunks or Vegeta. What about her Dad? What would he think of Goten, having a family? Pan didn't think that he approved of his brother's choice of girlfriend – before Bulla came along – so he'd be upset that he'd knock her up without remorse.

Without a doubt, Pan had a feeling that this night was not going to turn out as well as she hoped.

**:3 :3 :3**

In Bulla's opinion, she thought that this was going to be an awkward dinner: the most awkward part being her and Goten explaining that they were together. However, all doubts escaped her mind – and even at the dinner table, things turned out far different than what she expected.

For instance, any conversation at the table revolved around basically anyone sitting there: including the romantic pairings. But Bulla knew that there would be another chance for her to proclaim her love for Goten in front of everyone sitting down.

Bulla squeezed Goten's hand underneath the table, wanting to give him all the comfort he needed. She knew that there was something up with Goten when he arrived; but she just figured that he was nervous about announcing their relationship. And she didn't blame him for it. Bulla was still quite anxious about it herself – her heartbeat wouldn't tell her otherwise.

But at the same time, Bulla saw a different emotion written on Goten's face. She didn't know what it was, but she assumed that he was... scared? But what would he be afraid of? Bulla was concerned, so she decided after revealing their relationship she would talk to him about it.

Goten glanced sideways to his girlfriend, whose bright, sky blue eyes shone with empathy and support. He smiled back as though he was reassuring her.

Goten didn't want to worry Bulla; and he especially didn't want to make her worry about something like this... in fact, he was quite certain that he was going to lose her. If Bulla heard about what happened... it would break her heart as well as his own.

Personally, he was somewhat certain that him being a baby daddy one day was going to happen. Goten wasn't stupid – by far; but during the times when he wanted to have sex with someone... well, he could have been a lot more aware of protection.

Besides: Valese may never really be pregnant at all. Goten knew that she still loved him. He realized, after he broke up with her, that she was one who practically begged for attention. It wasn't until that point in his life that he knew that Valese would do anything to keep him in her grasp... Which made it all more difficult for Goten to decide what to do.

He never had it in his heart to despise people; like his father. But there were times when humans infuriated him to a point when he nearly lost his temper. And each and every time, Goten used his Saiyan heritage as an excuse.

This time was different. He had no excuse.

Once again, he felt the watchful gaze of his girlfriend on him: compelling him to turn around and look at her.

No one else at the table was paying attention to their hints of public affection, so Goten knew he could relax a little. But he couldn't get his guard down. Bulla would want to know why he was acting this way... And yet again, Goten found himself at war deep within.

He shook his head. He wasn't going to think about this now. The most important thing he could do right now is be with Bulla...

However, before he could talk to her, he felt two more sets of eyes... no wait – three sets of eyes... staring at him with a passion.

Goten glanced upward, catching Trunks looking at him with curiosity and warning. Goten gulped. He knew the look in his blue eyes: and he certainly wasn't going to hurt Bulla, as Trunks was telling him silently. Beside Trunks was Pan, who was also staring at him with a furious expression in her deep mocha eyes. Goten wasn't sure why Pan was upset with him also... But he wasn't even going to try to inflict Pan's rage on himself: Pan, when she wanted to be, could be quite a fierce monster. Unlike her parents who were normally calm and collected most of the time.

Sitting at the head side of the table was Vegeta: whose facial expression was worse than Pan and Trunks' combined. Goten couldn't help but shudder... why was everyone laying down the hate on him?

Was it because they knew? Goten shook his head. It wasn't possible. It was only Chi Chi and Goten that knew.. unless...

"Are you okay, Goten? You look a little pale. Have some more to eat!" Goku nudged his youngest son, who sat in the middle between Bulla and Goku, as he took ginormous bites of the tenth platter of food that Goku was served.

"I bet he has something on his mind," Pan wagered, looking straight into Goten's eyes.

"Is it... love?" Bulma winked.

Bulla, deciding that the tension couldn't possibly get any worse, leaned her head lovingly unto Goten's shoulder. "There's only one girl he loves and she's right here," Bulla also tucks her hand in his arm, somewhat possessively.

Bulma, Chi Chi and Pan laughed – while Goku was stuffing his face (only paying somewhat attention), Vegeta narrowing his eyes in disgust but stayed silent, and Trunks showing a satisfied half-grin.

"How long have you been together?" Chi Chi asked, as she took another bite of her steak. "Wait. I shouldn't be asking you that! I should be wondering when I'm getting some beautiful grandchildren."

Bulla spat out her drink, an embarrassing crimson red blush immediately appeared. Goten, turned away, but was clearly feeling awkward and somewhat embarrassed of the context of the question.

"You already have Pan," Gohan reminded Chi Chi, saving the discombobulate couple from answering.

Chi Chi scoffed. "Are you kidding? At this old age of mine, how could I possibly be satisfied with one grandchild to spoil?"

Videl chuckled, as well as Bulma and Gohan.

Vegeta looked like he was about to kill Chi Chi for remotely suggesting that Goten was going to get married with Bulla, much less BRATS in the future. Bulma tried to calm down her husband the best she could, by petting his knee under the table.

"I always wanted a family one day," Bulla muttered, hoping that no one would hear her. However, much to her dismay, Chi Chi – sitting on the other Head side of the table – patted Bulla's hand reassuringly.

"See? Then it's settled. Oh, I can't wait to hear little pitter patter on the floor again," Chi Chi sighed, already starting to imagine how her grandchildren – coming from Goten – are going to look. "And who better to give you kids than Goten? See? Perfect match!"

Goten and Bulla looked into each others' eyes, magnetically drawn to each other. Bulla silently asked him if he could ever picture the two of them being together... Goten didn't tell her otherwise as his brooding, onyx eyes gazed into Bulla's cerulean blue eyes...

"Alright, you two lovebirds – go get a room if you're going to keep us from our meal," Trunks choked out, barely holding in a laugh.

Once again, most of the adults in the room laughed (excluding Vegeta) in delight as they saw the uncomfortable looks planted on Bulla's and Goten's faces.

"Oh, we will get a room. When we're married," Bulla exclaimed proudly, noticing the gruesome face of her father – not amused that he was about to become the butt of their joke.

"You are certainly not going to parade yourself around here," Vegeta scoffed, the only words that were spoken from the former Prince of Saiyans.

"Damn right. Goten and I are going to live far away... far away from you," Bulla retorted.

At that moment, Vegeta somewhat blushed – both in furious rage and in embarrassment – as the whole group of guests practically laughed at him.

"I'll be right back," Goten kissed Bulla on the cheek, yet he didn't notice the fiery, yet ice-cold stare that Vegeta was directing toward him.

Bulla noticed that both he and Pan were heading to the living room in the compound, as though they had something to discuss.

She had a distinct feeling that if she asked Goten what was going on, he wouldn't answer her. Even though Bulla was never the type to listen on conversations, this was the one time that she had to make an exception.

"Where are you going Bulla?"

"Just off to the bathroom," Bulla rolled her eyes at her brother, who didn't believe her story. Yet, he was not going to chase after her: even though that was what he wanted to do.

Trunks never wanted to see his little sister heartbroken – just like any other older brother didn't want to see. He had to admit that he was certainly protective of her, like Vegeta, but he knew that he couldn't invade her personal life all the time (once again, Vegeta was the reason why she kept many secrets). If he wanted Bulla to be happy, then she would have to find it herself.

And it was certainly going to be difficult for her. When Pan told him that Goten might be a father... something inside Trunks just snapped. The first thought in his head was what Bulla would think of Goten– if the rumour was actually true. Trunks didn't believe it was.

When Bulla reached the living room, she decided to keep herself hidden. She didn't want anyone to know that she was there... listening.

".. You're a jackass for doing this to her!"

"What?"

"You heard me! You are going to break her heart, while you sit back and take care of that baby."

Bulla narrowed her eyebrows in confusion. What were they talking about?

"Admit it! You still love Valese! That's why she's pregnant!" Pan shouted, completely unaware that Bulla was there in the first place.

Tears were raining down from Bulla's eyes, as she felt her heart being broken into millions of pieces. Pieces that could never be repaired...

She fell unto the floor, sobbing quietly.

No. It couldn't be true. Goten didn't love Valese... He loved her. He loved HER alone and no one else.

Bulla shut her eyes closed, continuing to shed tears. What if it was true? Why... why... why would Goten go back to Valese?

Did he truly not get over his first love? Or is it that he always loved her all along?

And now that Valese was so called pregnant... would he leave her?

**:3 :3 :3**

**~ And so the drama continues!**

**I hate continuing to make Goten and Bulla suffer; especially since I'm in no control of Valese! That 3itch! XP **

**Anyways, see you either this week or next week for another update! ^_^ ~**


	41. No Saiyan Suckups Today

**~~ Welcome to chapter 41 ^_^ **

**I know that it's probably been more than a week since you've last seen me: but I have a genuine excuse. For the past week or so, I'm still dealing with a virus (go away sore throat! :P) so I had to spend some time resting up. **

**But the good news is, I'm back and I'm planning to update the rest of the chapters quickly! ~~**

**Chapter 41**

Whenever Bulla felt upset or heavily depressed, she would find a way to take her mind off things temporarily; it wouldn't be called 'avoiding the subject', but it would help her come to terms with her inner emotions. She was a saiyan but also a human. Being human meant dealing with heartbreak – if one would ever had to deal with dating and romance.

But there was nothing that Bulla could do now to help mend her heart. Bulla was slowly getting over her rational obsession of shopping – with Vegeta no less – and it was something that was starting to get dull. As much as clothes excited her, it didn't do the trick anymore.

Even going out with Marron, who gushed to Bulla on the phone last night about a new crush, never made things easier for Bulla to deal with. When the two of them would hang out, their main topic would either be clothes or boys. And hanging out with Pan would only make things awkward between them: she knew that Pan would try to make an effort to get her and Goten back together. Although she means well, Bulla didn't want interference from anyone. It made her feel like she was incompetent and incapable of dealing with things herself.

The fact that Bulla didn't want to deal with the excruciating ache and thoughts that caused the pain should have been made clear; but no one had seen the devastation and betrayal in her azure eyes, the discomfort in her body language and the way that she had distanced herself from Goten at the rest of their dinner. Bulla was perfectly aware that everyone at the table noticed her composure. Her skin was clammy and pale – not glowing happily as it did at the beginning. If Bulla's eyes were streaked and reddened with tears, questions would be immediately flung against her. But it took everything in her power to hold them back as she sat next to Goten. A couple of times he would try to hold her hand and even asking her with his eyes what was wrong. Bulla felt numb. She didn't squeeze his hand back, nor did she ever answer him. Instead, she looked away – concentrating on her food. Right after their supper, Bulla immediately fled the room and into her safe haven. Her mother tried to stop her, but Vegeta told her to stop: she wasn't going to listen. At the time, Bulla refused to listen to anyone. She wasn't going to let anyone's talk of her get to her. Bulla wasn't going to allow herself to be hurt again.

She held in most of her tears until she reached her bed. Bulla had slammed the whole door shut loudly: proclaiming she was in no mood to talk.

The pain that she denied to show at dinner, the pain that had gripped her heart tightly and the pain that caused her to act under its control let itself out. Bulla punched her pillows repeatedly before crying out in extreme anger. But it wasn't long before that acrimony turned into despondent sorrow.

Her chest was about to collapse from the amount of breaths that she refused to take. Her eyes continued to rain down tears and continued to produce more. Bulla ignored the ache in her throat from whimpering, the tremendous headache that was sure to turn into a migraine. She ignored the way her heart was beating – even faster than when lightning strikes.

When Bulla was a child, she always dreamed about her Prince. She listened to her mother telling her stories – fairy tales about true love, and she listened intently to when her mother fell in love with her dad. At the time, Bulla always thought that there was always a happy ending for everyone. But her shorthand knowledge of romance didn't prepare her for the future heartbreak. She didn't know that there were stories that didn't end in eternal happiness for both people. That dream of hers ended when she started growing up and became more fascinated with fashion. Even then, she didn't wish to find a boy. She always listened to Marron cry that she couldn't be with the one that she liked. At the time Bulla sympathized with her, but didn't feel like she would be put in her shoes.

Wasn't love supposed to make people feel good? Instead, love cost too much; love costed her heart to change, love gave her physical and mental pain…

Was this how it was going to end for her? Bulla was never meant to have a happy life with Goten. She wasn't meant to love him, to enjoy his company.

Bulla shook her head – feeling self-pity trying to plant ideas and notions in her head. She didn't want to listen to the arguments and wars going on in her mind right now… All she wanted was to be alone. Her heart clenched at the idea… and it was tearing itself straight in half. One half wanted to be with Goten, and the other half refused to give into its love for Goten.

Did she still love him? Bulla thought she did. She always thought that she had strong feelings for him.. But then Valese had to intervene. Even though she recalled a time when she told herself that Valese was desperate enough to steal Goten away from her, Bulla could not help but still feel like she was in second place for Goten's affections.

But her love for him… she didn't know if it was still there. Maybe she could figure it out in time, when she wasn't such a mess.

"Bulla? Honey?"

Bulla snarled, suddenly tensing up. She did not want to talk to anyone. Bulla was not going to have anyone involved in her love life right now…

"Please let me come in."

Bulla closed her eyes, contemplating her mother's words. She didn't want to hurt her family members by taking out her frustration and the result of Goten's betrayal on anyone else.

Bulla heard her mother opening the door, slowly still as she closed it at the same pace.

"What do you want?" Bulla asked – her tone emotionless and blank. She hid her face in her pillow: sure she was allowing Bulma inside her bedroom, but she wasn't going to talk to her face to face. Bulla felt, and looked, extremely horrible.

"Bulla… what's wrong?"

Bulla growled, as she buried herself deeper.

"I want to help you, sweetie. When I saw you at dinner… you were pretty upset."

Bulla didn't reply, but she listened.

"It breaks my heart when I see you like this."

Bulla could tell that she was speaking from the heart; she could tell that her mom was getting closer to shedding tears. Bulla didn't know what she was trying to do: whether to make her feel guilty, or trying to make her open up to her. Bulla was speechless – she didn't know what words she could say that would make this right.

"What did Goten do that is making you so upset?"

"He did something unforgivable. Let's just leave it at that," Bulla managed to reply, still sounding emotionless.

"You can't find it in your heart to forgive him?"

"I can't do anything right now. To me, I'm just second place," Bulla murmured.

"What?"

"He chose her over me, Mom. There's nothing more than that."

Bulla felt her stomach tighten, her heart speeding up tenfold, and her chest aching as she thought of him. She still couldn't believe that she fell for him…

"What makes you think that?"

Bulla hesitated. She wanted to scream out that there were voices in her head that told her so, and that she heard Pan and Goten's conversation as proof. The emotion in their voices when they were arguing made it all the more real for Bulla; she tried to pretend that it was all a huge nightmare. But it wasn't.

"I just know it."

Bulla knew that she was being stubborn right now; but there wasn't anything that anyone could say that could lessen the pain in her heart.

"I know how much you love him Bulla. And I know how much love he has for you."

"He doesn't love me," Bulla sobbed, tears starting to fall again as she started to feel panic and anxiety rise in her stomach.

"He does, honey. You just have to open your eyes and see it," Bulma sighed. This was the conversation that had to be told by both parents, but Bulma practically gave Vegeta a favor: talking their teenaged daughter into raising her confidence. But if she was just as stubborn and ill-tempered like Vegeta at times, it would make things extremely difficult for Vegeta to make his point across. And second of all, he wasn't a man of words. No matter what he would try to say, it would make Bulla feel worse.

Bulla scrunched her eyebrows, feeling confused. What did Bulma mean by that? Did she mean to have a sudden epiphany about Goten?

She scoffed. She wasn't going to waste her time and think about it now.

When Bulla opened her eyes, Bulma was gone.

Bulla sighed. What was she going to do now?

**:3 :3 :3**

The proof of Bulla's facial expression and outward behavior toward Goten was more than enough to validate the end of their relationship.

When she looked at him, Goten saw betrayal, sadness and anger merged together within the stormy blue eyes that he adored. Right then, he knew his heart shattered. He knew that Bulla knew…

He sighed solemnly. He most likely made her cry: but what really happened – that he knew of – was that he broke her heart. Goten didn't want to hurt her. He knew that if he told her beforehand, it still would have upset her. It would have been the right thing to do.

Goten snarled, palming his hands into fists. He didn't do it. Because he was a coward. He was just a desperate guy trying to hold unto his relationship for as long as he could before the storm…

Because of his actions, Bulla didn't want to see him again. Probably. He angered her – possibly upset her to the point that she refused to see anyone. He knew that she was a stubborn girl at times. Would she truly hate him? He wouldn't blame her. There were instances in the past that Bulla was hurt because there were rumors that Goten still liked Valese intimately. Those rumors were what putting Bulla on paranoia: they were never going to be true. Goten loved Bulla.

And because of what he had supposedly done, Bulla had seen that he never did.

Which led him to think how she knew. Pan sworn Goten that she would never tell Bulla; Goten knew that fact – Pan was a trustworthy person when it came to keeping secrets.

Which left one other option. She was listening in on the conversation.

Goten didn't want to feel more guilt, but nonetheless it was building up inside him. He couldn't imagine how she felt when she heard it all.

"You have got some nerve hanging around here, brat."

It didn't take much for Goten to figure out it was Vegeta who said this.

"Vegeta."

"I'm only going to say this once. Go home. Never return."

Goten was shocked at Vegeta's usage of words, but moreso of the way he said them. But Goten put on a strong face, as he narrowed his eyes.

"If you want to do anything for Bulla, you'll do as I say."

"How…"

Vegeta scoffed, crossing his arms. "She was crying all night, and it was getting on my nerves. Which led me to believe that you were the cause."

"It wasn't my fault!"

Vegeta interrupted him with a growl, and a cold, icy stare from his onyx eyes. Goten didn't say anything more, but once again found himself at a standstill.

"You make me sick. You make me wonder if you're a Saiyan at all!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Goten challenged.

"A true Saiyan warrior would never betray their intended. And what I see right now doesn't come close to being one."

Goten didn't say anything in response, for he knew that Vegeta was right. Even though in truth Goten didn't do anything, his actions – much less the rumors – continue to make him look bad and dishonorable.

"I didn't mean to hurt her, if that's what you're suggesting!" Goten proclaimed.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "If you're going to apologize to anyone, it isn't me."

Before Goten could say anything else, he left: leaving Goten to remember his suggestion.

Even though Vegeta wasn't the type of man to use words as his weapon, he knew what he was getting at. Like any other father, he was trying to protect her from getting hurt.

In the end, she did get hurt. Badly. And would he ever get a chance to tell her the true story…


	42. Looks Like Love Triumphs All

**Chapter 42**

Let's face it: last night was by far the worst Bulla had come to have in her teenaged life; there was never a time when she had been more upset then the way she was now. The continuous stream of tears and sobbing only gave her at least five hours of sleep. Maximum.  
No one knew that in the Briefs household that if Bulla was THIS upset at one point the previous day, they would never suspect the royal, arrogant, pissy side to appear from her. Some say it was because she had a lack of sleep – others say because it was Goten's doing.

And when Bulla did wake up that morning, she felt horrible! She was absolutely in no mood to eat or drink anything. Her eyes were blood red and puffy from the way she had been crying, her throat was sore from crying out in anger and her head thundered each time she tried to think or tried to move it.

Was crying for Goten really worth this pain? Her chest didn't implode into flames anymore, the only way that Bulla put it, and her heart felt nothing except numbness when she thought of Goten.

To be honest though, she didn't feel rage when a picture of Goten popped up in her mind. Instead, she felt… nothing. It was like picturing Goten as only a friend, like she would of Pan.

Bulla flipped over to the other side of her bed, feeling the fleecy, velvety bed under her touch. She pulled her crimson blanket – which also had similar velvet material – over her head, trying to keep the sunshine from meeting her face.

In truth, she wanted to stay in the dark forever. Bulla was not even close to prepare herself for meeting her friends and family just yet: she was in too much of a bad mood to even greet them properly. Not to mention she did not want to hear any pity coming from anyone's tongue. In her opinion, it only made things worse for her if family members tried to cheer her up with sweet nothings. Only if they confirm their promises they made to her did Bulla actually believe them…

But would she believe Goten if he tried to tell her what had been going on?

Instead of feeling anger and bitter, emotions of disappointment and sadness started to consume her. She didn't know why she was less angry at him anymore; was it because she started to become more angry at herself? At first, she wanted to go and kick Goten's butt for doing this to her, and she felt enraged to the point where she'd nearly kill Valese. But her human nature took over: it wasn't, nor will it ever be, in her to ever hurt anyone physically, intentionally. And now, Bulla was directing her swarm of emotions to herself. It was her fault that she had to fall in love with Goten. It was her fault that she had to go and make him notice her. It was her fault that she had to fight for him… to be with him.

_Don't… don't start crying!_ Bulla screamed to herself, as she felt tears running down her face. They were sad tears – tears that held the love for Goten. She was still in love with him: no matter what he did… she still held strong feelings for him. There was no way that she could let go of him…She never even told him how much he meant to her…

**:3 :3 :3**

When Pan found out from Bulma that Bulla didn't want to see anyone that day, the first thought that appeared in her mind had something to do with Goten.

In her honest opinion, she always felt like there was someone listening to her conversation with her uncle at the Brief's house, but as always – Pan didn't do anything about it. She was just far too pissed at Goten to even acknowledge anything else.

Which led to Pan severely thinking for about twenty minutes: she realized that Bulla had listened to them bickering, and that she was the one who left with tears in her eyes.

This was not the first time when Pan unintentionally – as well as unknowingly – hurt Bulla. The second most horrifying incident, that came after this fiasco with the pregnancy story, was when the teenaged girls were starting puberty. Hormones and emotions were soaring sky high: so everything they talk to each other about ended up being in a brutal fight – literally hand-to-hand combat – and Pan would end up winning because she trained more so than Bulla did. But Bulla had cleverness and a way with words: they were her very choice of weapon, as her father so wielded them close to his playing field as well. Their friendship nearly ended when both sets of parents had to give them the talk. It took about darn time, as Pan always put it as they lectured both her and Bulla for at least an hour. What the parents didn't count on was the fact that the two girls were far too curious and nosy for their own good: in the end, they were well informed about certain things. Vegeta didn't count on that conversation to turn up until both girls were at least eighteen years old.

To be brief and straight to the point, there were rare times when Bulla and Pan couldn't handle being friends with each other anymore. But things always worked out in the end, and that was what Pan believe would happen to Bulla and Goten.

Even her and Trunks decided to take care of their needs later, as they knew that Bulla and Goten needed to be happy first before Pan and Trunks could even suggest a double date. At first, Trunks was frustrated, simply because Pan was thinking that he desperately wanted to get some, but then he realized his little sister was not happy. For once, his primal urges to fornicate with Pan caused him to slightly lose control at one point in Trunks' bedroom… But everything came to a stop, when Pan had a feeling that she wasn't ready for what Trunks was about to do. This was over a week ago, and Pan still didn't explain the situation to Bulla.

Pan shook her head, ruefully shaking her head to rid of the images of that night…

She came to talk to Bulla, not to reinvision herself in constant fantasies that involve a playboy billionaire and the perfect bedroom setting.

"I'm sorry Pan. She never had been in the mood to talk to anyone," Bulma shrugged her shoulders.

Pan raised an eyebrow. "Yeah well, I think she should want to hear what I have to say."

"Does it have to do with Goten?"

Pan scoffed. "If it wasn't about Goten, why would I be here?"

"I have a few reasons. Does Trunks know you're here?" Bulma asked.

Pan shook her head: he must have told his parents at some point that she and Trunks were intimate. Thus she kind of figured no one was surprisesd. To be honest, Pan was sort of relieved – meaning that there wasn't going to be any kind of drama if she was going after Trunks. As far as Pan knew, Trunks wasn't cheating on her – and she knew he would never plan to. She could sense that he did not stink of any perfume from any of those skanky women who try to get into his pants… Wait.

Pan widened her eyes, a sudden thought of realization hitting her full on: if Bulla gave Goten a chance to explain himself, couldn't she be able to detect the truth? Pan sighed, knowing that Bulla would be far too upset and stubborn to listen to what he had to say anyway, much less proving herself wrong.

"That's not important right now. I have to see her. I have to tell her that Goten is going to prove the rumor wrong!" Pan exclaimed, trying to convince Bulma of her motives.

"She's too stubborn to listen to anyone, but… I suppose you should try and tell her," Bulma sighed, leaving Pan to stand alone outside of Bulla's room.

Now that Bulma had left, Pan hesitated.

She wasn't sure now if Bulla could listen to her best friend; hell, she wouldn't even listen to Trunks.

Pan shook her head, erasing all thoughts of doubt and fear from her mind. She wasn't going to become scared: Bulla couldn't be that angry anymore.

Pan knocked on Bulla's door. "Bulla?"

No answer.

She waited five minutes before trying the same tactic. "Bulla! I know you can hear me. May I come in?"

Once again, Bulla chose not to reply.

Pan growled, starting to lose her patience.

As a result, she opened the door angrily, "What the hell do you think you're doing in there?"

But then Pan stopped… seeing Bulla sitting on the floor – looking solemn, depressed and plain unhappy. Her eyes were glowing with unease and discomfort, and her skin was not a vibrant snow white as it had been - now it became clammy and grey…

She sat cross-legged on the floor and held no immediate response to Pan's intrusion. Instead, she looked toward the floor, barely containing in her cries.

Pan walked toward her troubled friend.

"Bulla."

That was when she had noticed Pan's presence. She turned her head slowly in Pan's direction, with a hazed look on her face.

"I know it's been hard on you: but you've got to let us help you."

Pan wasn't particularly gifted when it came to comforting people during break-ups when she herself had no clue how they felt: since she had next to none romantic experience, but that was before she and Trunks were brought together.

"I can't."

"Think about Trunks! Think about your mom and dad! Do you have any idea that the whole ideal is brought upon them too? Think about it: Vegeta was saying that he was going to clean up this mess himself. But you are fricking lucky that Trunks stopped him."

"I can't depend on anyone else to help me."

Pan snarled.

Next thing Bulla knew, Pan slapped her friend across the face. Bulla widened her eyes in shock; she felt as though she were brought out of a mist..

"I can't believe you! No. You are not going to give up on him! Damn it. How can YOU be so selfish? Just swallow your damn pride and go to him!" Pan yelled, holding back tears. "Otherwise, you just wasted several months of MY time trying to help you recognize your feelings for Goten!"

Bulla winced, feeling the blow from Pan's verbal attack: her onyx eyes sparked with fury and hatred. "I…"

"Don't tell me that you're sorry now. In fact, it's not me that you're going to say sorry to."

Bulla sighed, closing her eyes. "Pan it's just… he's hurt me far too many times."

"What are you talking about? Goten never wanted to hurt you! He LOVES you!"

Bulla felt her heart race, hearing Pan finish off her sentence. "Valese is NOT preggers: she practically lied to his face and to our family. She wanted to separate you and Goten…"

Bulla took a few moments to finally listen to what her friend had to say.

"I don't know what ran through your mind, but… Goten… He came here for you."

_What?_

"He stood here, wanting to ask you to listen to him. But your father chased him away."

That was when Bulla felt the guilt consume her… The guilt started to tear her insides apart as she thought of Goten looking dejected.

Bulla swallowed, feeling the bile as she did so. She made herself think that her pride was more important than those around her. Pan… what she was saying was true. Everyone around her was effected by Bulla's depression. It had been weeks since she had seen Goten… But to Bulla, it felt like it had been eternity.

"Goten stood out here – outside of your window, hoping with his heart that you could talk to him. Do you have any idea how much pain he felt?"

Bulla shut her eyes again, immediately pictures of Goten coming for her flooding her brain.

"Does that tell you how much he loves you? Of course not. How about the fact that he went over to Valese's yesterday to tell her that he's in love!"

Bulla immediately felt a blast of excruciating, horrible, pain in her chest… Too horrid to ignore… She suddenly found herself on her hands and knees..

"He is planning to tell you himself, and you don't even care?"

However, before Pan could say anymore, Bulla interrupted; "Please… no more… no more…" She started to sob.

Even then, Pan immediately recognized Bulla was sick… No. Not sick..

"Bulla!"

Right then, Bulla started to cry – for the hell she was being put through… She couldn't take another minute of it.

"You're right… All this time, I thought I was the only one suffering. I couldn't ask myself to give him another chance. I.. assumed that I knew the truth."

"Bulla, please don't say anything more, you're hurt," Pan started crying – holding unto her friend who was sure to collapse at any given moment.

"I can't. I can't give up on him. You are right. Goten and I have such a strong bond. We are in love… And because of my stupid Saiyan pride… I can't even have the guts to say I LOVE YOU GOTEN!" Bulla whimpered out loud, the convulsion growing within her at every second. But it seemed that time had enough of her confession… In a few moments, before Pan could say anything else, Bulla passed out, feeling herself fall into a deep abyss…

_I'm sorry, Goten…_

**:3 :3 :3**

A pure, angelic light swept over Bulla. She felt calm and at ease…

_Am I dead? _She thought, as she looked around. Bulla didn't see anyone else with her, which led to believe that she had passed in her sleep.

Bulla remembered that she had acknowledged her love for Goten out loud… But felt remorse that she couldn't have told him herself.

Now Goten had to face this… which made Bulla feel even worse than she had done.

"Bulla?"

Another flash of lucent light glimmered in her eyes, causing her to moan. Damn that light was too bright…

"I think she's awake…. Thank God…"

Bulla tried to move, but she found that she couldn't. It was as though she was restrained…

She opened her eyes, her vision blurry and unfocused.

"Bulla!" The miraculous voice of her worried mother shrieked, causing Bulla to slightly wince in discomfort.

"Can you not stop your harping? The girl is alright."

Bulla couldn't help but twitch her lips in a small smile. Her father… he knew what was the right thing to say to her at a time like this.

"Harping? She's my only little girl, Vegeta! Aren't you worried about her too?"

"Mom? Dad?" Bulla whispered out huskily, but her parents managed to stop bickering for a few moments to see that their daughter had awakened. But then… she fell asleep again, more voices becoming suddenly out of reach.

When Bulma had caught wind of Pan's shriek of distress, every family member managed to hear. They all hurried down the compound halls to catch a slump on the floor in her room…

It took all of Bulma's strength at the time to not start blubbering…

Vegeta carried her to the Corporation's hospital wing in no time, catching the attention of several doctors – who were slacking off.

They hooked Bulla to the IV and ran tests as she continued to lie dormant in her sleep. It was only an hour later when the family received the news that she was going to be fine, but she needed time to rest: the cause of the pain in her chest was heartbreak – which was rare to find in a girl whose age didn't seem to surpass eighteen years. If they hadn't brought her to her sooner… there wasn't much that they could do.

Bulma was quite relieved, but she was still worried of her daughter. She couldn't help but think that Bulla may never wake up – at least until Vegeta comforted her in his own way. She knew that Vegeta was strong… and that he believed that his daughter can wake up again. At that time, Bulma wished that she could be courageous like him…

Even Trunks was quite upset knowing that Bulla was in the hospital – even if it wasn't in the city. He thought of the past quite frequently and how often he tried to distance Goten from her. That was something he most regretted. Pan tried to reassure him, by kissing him on the cheek and embracing him from behind…

It wasn't until ten o'clock at night when Goten finally arrived… hearing the news that Bulla was unconsious. He explained that he had broken all ties with Valese, and what she had said to his mother was indeed a lie. Goten needed time to himself to think, but Vegeta had to ruin his apology by insulting his honour.

Goten apologized deeply, but went immediately to Bulla's side. He held her hand lovingly, and gazed at her like she was the most precious thing in the world to him.

Everyone in the room – and yes, including Vegeta – just _**knew **_that Goten was in love with her.

And he hadn't left her side since.

**:3 :3 :3**

The first thing that Bulla noticed, when she finally woken up from the medication, was that something pleasant and summery was holding her hand. It took her minutes to adjust her eyesight to the darkness, which calmed and frightened Bulla at the same time.

Before, it was as though she felt like she was alone… that no one else was with her… That was what Bulla feared the most. She bit her lip, but all her doubts were replaced with happiness and calm relaxation – her family was there. Only they were not awake… Even Pan and Trunks were lying against each other.

Bulla smiled. They were truly happy together, something that Bulla had yearned for the both of them.

"Bulla, are you awake?" The familiar, masculine…

Tears erupted in Bulla's eyes, remembering the pain and sorrow she felt before… "G-Goten," She sobbed, but was stopped when she felt lips connect themselves to her palm, kissing it several times with a gentleness that she didn't know that Goten possessed…

"You really scared me, Bulla."

_It wasn't my intention…I didn't mean it!_ Bulla wanted to say to him. She tried to apologize, but Goten interrupted her. "I was afraid of losing you several times. And it was truly my fault. I let Valese come between us; I didn't cut ties with her sooner. I didn't realize how much pain you had to go through when you found out that… But it doesn't matter anymore. I talked to her, saying that I found my life here."

_Is he…_ _about to say it?_ Bulla felt her heartbeat start rushing… and butterflies in her stomach…

"You are my life now, Bulla. I've always loved you."

"Goten… I didn't want to hurt you or anyone else! I couldn't bear seeing you after all this… my stupid instincts told me to stay away from you… you hurt me, but then Pan talked to me… I realized that she was right. I was more afraid than anything else. My feelings for you haven't changed. I love you," Bulla whispered calmly, trying her hardest not to cry.

Goten started to hush her, trying to calm her down as Bulla started to break out into tears once more… It felt good, knowing that Bulla loved him too – and it made his heart flutter in joy. "I know."

"I don't ask for much, Goten. But can you… can you kiss me?"

Before she knew it, his lips bonded with her own… all of his emotions were put into the kiss – and Bulla reciprocated, giving him love and assurance. They continued to lip lock, feeling less regretful but more content and relaxed around each other.

Goten pulled away, but not before giving her a kiss on her forehead.

"When I wake up, will you be here with me?"

"Always."

**:3 :3 :3**

**~~ I told myself not to cry when I wrote this! But… I couldn't help it. **

**To be honest, most of this chapter was mostly my muse's work: I just typed the words on the computer. But, I recommend you to look up the song that created this chapter. **

**I listened to it several times during the writing of this chapter, so I highly recommend you read it with the song. But, I'm not going to force you: but if you want emotional impact… **

**Song;** Sotanshi by Kaoru Wada

**I hope you like this chapter – we have the epilogue next! ^_^ ~~**


	43. Epilogue

**Epilogue:  
Three Years Later…**

If there was anything that Bulla could NOT handle, was this. SCREW THE EX-GIRLFRIEND DRAMA… This was twenty thousand times worse to deal with.

Sure, most women had to possess the amazing ability of was childbirth, and surviving it afterwards. Bulla knew that it would hurt, but this was EXCRUCIATINGLY HORRIBLE to endure…

There were times when she was thinking how could she do this? How could she agree to Goten, thinking that they were ready to start a family?

Bulla took a shallow breath of air, trying to calm herself down, but it was troublesome and problomatic.

She knew she was a little young to start childbearing, but both she and Goten joked often together that they couldn't stand the pressure from Chi Chi everytime they had a family visit.

The last time that Goten and her visited Goku and Chi Chi was eight months ago, finally admitting to them that they were going to be expecting a baby. Chi Chi was ecstatic with joy – like she hadn't been pressuring her and Goten at all. Even Goku sounded pretty proud. Pan was just as happy to hear that her best friend was going to have children, and even that made her feel a little envious: she was hoping for little ones of her own one day, and just being with Trunks was enough.

Vegeta and Bulma had given their signs of congratulations, although Vegeta wasn't emotional to say the least like Bulma: first thing that he said, was that he was hoping for a boy. Bulma then nudged her husband, saying that both of them would be happy for a grandchild – no matter what gender.

"You just have to push, Bulla," Bulma said.

"I can't!" Bulla whimpered, feeling another contraction.

Lying in a cold hospital bed for ten plus hours was NOT her idea of delivering a child into the world. However, her little one demanded to be brought out: and Bulla had a feeling that this baby was going to develop a serious attitude when it grew older…

Bulla gripped her mother's hand tightly, trying with all her might to push. But each time, Bulla felt as though she were growing weaker… Bulla didn't know how her mother could have gotten her and Trunks out and not collapse!

"You can…" Bulma reassured her.

It was nearly midnight and the baby still decided to stay in her, which made Bulla angry.

Another thing that made her just as furious was the fact that her husband was not there to help her get through this; just because HE was the one that graciously got her pregnant, HE was the one that found themselves a home far away from human development – at her instistance – and HE was the one that she loved, did not mean that he could walk away from this free. This was his baby too.

"Goten, I swear to God if you're not here in twenty seconds – I'M CALLING FOR A DIVORCE!" Bulla screamed at the top of her lungs, feeling the intensity of every push.

Even Chi Chi had to somewhat flinch, but shook it off.

Even then, Goten still didn't show his face.

"IF YOU EVER PLAN TO GET WITH ME AGAIN, I SUGGEST THAT YOU MOVE YOUR BUTT IN HERE NOW!" Bulla screeched to the high heavens, promising to make due on her threat.

Her heart was soaring, beating impossibly fast… possibly faster than the speed of light itself.

Why wasn't it he wasn't here?

Bulla cried… she started to think that he was abandoning her again: which led her to change her tactics.

"I LOVE YOU AND IF YOU LOVE ME TOO, YOU ARE GOING TO BE HERE FOR YOUR BABY'S BIRTH!"

It was as though that were the final push…

"Bulla?"

Her strength was fading, and she was starting to become more exhausted. There was nothing more than what she wanted to do was to sleep it off… Her heart was slowing down considerably.

"Goten?" Bulla turned her head to the side, to see Goten holding a precious bundle in lavender blankets: whilst holding her hand with his other.

He was smiling gleefully, proud to see that Bulla came out strong in the end.

"You did it."

Bulla gave him a weak grin in reply, but decided she should start to move around… Goten helped her to a sitting position, while keeping a grip on the baby.

It was then that she noticed her parents, as well as Goten's, were heading back into the room: Bulma looking proud and teary-eyed, Vegeta with a somewhat worrisome but otherwise 'joyous' expression on his face, Goku grinning like a Cheshire cat and Chi Chi crying out with a style that would be similar to a 'harpy'.

Bulla looked back toward her husband, who was nearly close to shedding tears. She placed a loving hand on his cheek, wiping them away. "I'm alive… that's all that matters."

There was one point when Bulla, as well as Goten, thought she wasn't going to make it. Giving birth to a healthy, half-Saiyan baby **(1) **had never been easy. As proof, her heart stopped beating for a mere minute…

"I'm sorry," Bulla murmured.

"Why are you sorry?"

"The whole pregnancy I was acting like a bitch."

Goten chuckled. "But you're my bitch."

Bulla smirked, before realizing what he said. "Hey!" She mockfully pouted.

"So… is it a boy or a girl?" Bulla asked a few seconds later.

"See for yourself."

And so, Goten handed the baby to her…

When Bulla uncovered part of the blanket, she gasped in surprise and in adoration as she took in the sight of her beautiful baby.

Clearly, the baby had raven hair, but Bulla was wondering if the hair colour – if one would really look closely – was a dark violet shade. The baby started crying, wailing and wailing as tiny fists were gripped tightly in the blanket. But as Bulla started to instinctively sing, eyelids opened…

Bulla saw dark, starless, ebony eyes… eyes that shone with innocence…

"She's beautiful," Bulla sobbed, holding her in one crook of her arm.

Chi Chi, once again, started to ignite the room with shouts of pure joy: joy that she had gotten a granddaughter. Both she and Bulma moved to the couple, deciding to take a close inspection of the baby that captured Goten and Bulla's attention.

Bulma nearly shrieked, seeing the baby for the first time. "She… She's beautiful," Bulma smiled.

"She's so gorgeous!" Chi Chi laughed, as she looked into her eyes.

Once Vegeta heard that it was a girl, he rolled his eyes – as though he were disappointed by the outcome of the birth. But all thoughts of that completely left his mind when he decided to glance at the baby. Once again, his opinion was what he thought mattered.

"At least she looks like a Saiyan," Vegeta scoffed, but could not help being drawn into the little girl's onyx eyes. "Does she have a tail?"

"Hi! I'm grandpa Goku!" Goku nearly ran over Vegeta, who growled at him.

Goku was trying to make some funny faces to his new grandchild, but it appeared to be quite the opposite.

"Look what you did, Goku! You're making her cry!" Chi Chi grabbed her husband's earlobe, as the infant started to lash out in fear: she did not recognize the strange man who tried to move in closer to her.

However, Bulla and Goten ignored the fight that was going on between Chi Chi and Goku… as they tried to calm down the little girl that captured their hearts.

"What will we name her?"

"Izayoi."

"Why Izayoi?"

Bulla gestured to her father. "It was his mother's name. I figured that if we had a little girl, we should name her in memory of grandma."

"Little Izayoi…"

And so, nothing else was said. There were no words to be said at all: just the company of the close family was enough…

"So when can we start training the little one?"

All sets of eyes glared at Goku, who waved his arms in defense. "Relax – I'm just joking! Sort of…"

Bulla sighed; she knew that her father in law was right…

Her daughter was indeed a Saiyan. She may have the option to fight if she chooses to, once she's old enough.

"If anyone is going to be training her, it will be me," Vegeta said, crossing his arms. "No grandchild of mine will be trained under that clown," He pointed his thumb toward Goku – who did not take that last comment as a compliment.

"Come on, Vegeta. We can train her together…"

"You have got to be kidding me! I don't want her to grow up fascinated by what you call a decent attack."

"Who knows? Maybe she can do a Kamehameha Gun move…"

"What?"

"You know – a Galick Gun combined with a Kamehameha."

Bulla sighed happily, deciding to enjoy the moment with her husband and child as the in-laws continued to argue about who would have the privilege to train Izayoi.

Bulma and Chi Chi did nothing to interfere: knowing that this was the first time that Vegeta had offered to train a girl. When Bulla was born, Vegeta had somewhat sexist views – but seeing Pan perform at the world martial arts tournament a while back made him realize that girls can be strong. But the real reason was that he and Goku were now "family". Vegeta did not like the sound of that – even though the two of them were not enemies. A guy had to keep his pride afloat.

Then Bulma managed to silence everyone with her next comment. "You know, I bet you that Trunks and Pan are going to start their own family too."

"Slow down – Bulma. I may be a grandmother, but I don't want to be a GREAT-grandmother."

"But you are a great grandma, aren't you?" Bulla smirked, twisting Chi Chi's words around to see her make that mistake.

Then everyone laughed, seeing Chi Chi turning red from embarrassment as she tried to defend herself. Even Vegeta put on a grin – even though it wasn't fully one, it was half than what Bulla thought that he would show.

Suddenly, Izayoi interrupted everyone with a yawn… an adorable yawn that would cause anyone within a five mile radius to faint after hearing.

"I think she's getting tired of hearing your voice Vegeta."

"Kakarot, will you grow up and be serious? She clearly dislikes you."

Everyone then continued to chuckle with amusement, but stopped within a few minutes as Bulla continued to sway a little – as much as she could muster – to lull Izayoi asleep.

Bulla, as well as everyone else… they were in love with the little girl that will grow up to be someone special.

"Thank you…" Bulla kissed Goten fully on the lips. "For giving me this precious gift."

"You are my life… and so is Izayoi."

There was nothing that fate could do that could separate Bulla and Goten: their love for each other, and their new found adoration for their daughter, kept them tied together – their bond surely strong.

They would follow each other to the depths of time, and would always cherish each other in their hearts.

**:3 :3 :3**

**~~ Thank you, thank you, thank you! **

**You guys have been truly awesome – reviewing and giving me support. Without you, I could never have completed this story. Actually, that's a lie. I did have the inspiration within me to finish it! LOL. I truly hope that you guys loved this story: I spent a year and one month trying to satisfy you Bulla and Goten fans out there…**

**As for my 2nd Bulla and Goten story… well…**

**I may start to write it soon ;)**

**Consider it a treat for you guys. **

**Goodbye!...?...?**

**Seriously though, I'm going to go start writing that story now :D ~~**


End file.
